I realized on a recent trip to Virginia that what I still glean from experiencing the pre-industrial vernacular architecture of the Eastern Seaboard is a sense of appropriate scale. My definition of scale here incorporates relationships between people, between resources, and between the commerce, enterprise and production that connects them all. Despite the obvious (and […]
Tag Archives: sustainability
Scuppernong Commons
Wowhaus were Artplace Environmenal Artists-in-Residence at the McColl Center for Art and Innovation in Charlotte, North Carolina in late winter of 2015. While in residence we realized an ambitious public project called Scuppernong Commons. The project is sited within Brightwalk, a mixed-income, mixed-use residential development that is a model of sustainable revitalization and economic development […]
Arborigin
Arborigin is a collaborative project that brings together artists, designers and artisans to produce fine products from a single elm tree salvaged from Chicago’s urban forest. We invite those interested to submit a proposal to use some of our inventory of cured lumber and hope to bring the finished products together for a pop up store […]
North Tryon Corridor, Charlotte, NC
Vacant lot along North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC Urban centers of the South have changed dramatically since I last travelled here over twenty years ago. Boldly optimistic, future-forward Charlotte seems to epitomize the New South- on the move, un-nostalgic, innovative, green. I came here with an open mind at the invitation of Charlotte’s Arts and […]
House of Tree video
I’m very grateful to Kirsten Dirksen for making such an elegant little documentary about my House of Tree project, which she recently posted on her website, faircompanies.com. When she contacted me over the winter holidays about wanting to interview me about Deep Craft, wowhaus and House of Tree, I had not visited her website or […]
An Argument for Simplicity
As artisans we’re often compelled to make things that last, for obvious reasons. If the thing is functional we don’t want out efforts to be wasted; we want the functionality to remain in tact over time, hopefully adding to a thing’s value. If a thing is purely aesthetic, we want its beauty and meaning to […]
Ulmus Americana 3-22-12
My boards measure 44″L x 9.5″W, cupped and cambered, with a slightly lifted pintail. I recently finished another small batch of my Deep Deck longboards in American Elm. The design has taken about three years of prototyping to perfect, and is proving popular with a wide range of riders, from street cruisers to downhill carvers. […]