Page 40 - People & Places In Time

The legacy left me by my grandfather;
The success of any project is in the details as Mies van dur Rohe observed “God is in the details”. What my grandfather ment by telling me to “step back from something that isn’t working” is that its the small things that define success. The small things that define quality of craftsmanship depend upon a deliberate approach. Either way, I was taught or maby just inherited, how I approach anything, from a long heritage of craftsmen.
Each new project begins the same, often with a reluctance to even start. I’ve learned that what I conceive soon enough becomes so complex and difficult, that I’m leary of the time and difficulty ahead. When I plan a project there is an expectation of quality driving the process. Often I’m confronted with an assumption by others that good enough
is all that is necessary, or that there is an accepted and therefore only one way to do whatever is at hand. Sometimes I’m told no one sees it, why bother? The answer obviously, is that I see it. For others it is far to easy to accept less and move on just get it done but to do a better job is hard work and that becomes a choice.
The house built in the 1800’s that my grandfa- ther remodeled for his family in the 1920’s.
So now, what does quality mean for me? It’s the pursuit of a better way to live .... A pursuit of better materials, better design, better workmonship, durability and a level of finish that is estheti- cllly satisfying. Some expect less, I expect more. Better does not come cheap, the pursuit of excellance has limits imposed from many sources. What I can afford has limited my possibilites, not my appreciation of well done. I’m not limited in my imagination, nor my ability and talent to craft my ideas. I think often I see a way that others don’t. I find myself pursuing a result others aren’t aware is possible.
These days when I’m in my shop working I feel my grandfathers presenence often. There has been more than one instance when I’ve made some cuts I thought might have been wrong only to find that when put together, the pieces fit perfectly, as if my hands had been guided.