Living in Demolition

House of Beauty Kitchen

I went to see the stage adaptation of Michael Turner’s book “Hard Core Logo” the other night—afterwards I was talking with friends about the nostalgia that has grown around the Vancouver punk scene—it made me examine my past and the relationship I have with it—I don’t think back with a sense of longing for days past—Not that I would want to have any other past and I don’t struggle with it one way or the other—I’m  just happy to have food to eat these days and maybe my aesthetic values have changed a little--I knew after I painted my bedroom at the Smithrite House red and black that I really didn't want to sleep there anymore--

I was looking through what photos I still have and found some pictures of The House of Beauty just before it was demolished—then I found a picture (I think my sister might have taken it) of me in the living room of the Smithrite House just before its demolition—it’s always interested me that the majority of places we lived were torn down after we lived in them—not coincidental—

I like where I am today—knowing that my home isn’t destined for a bulldozer—

Paul Boyd Making Beauty of the House

Me (pondering paint chips for my bedroom)

Coffee and Slow Design

Gene Coffee is a block from my house and I'm there daily--sometimes two times a day--if I have time in the morning I hang out with a croissant or breakfast wrap and a coffee talking to Gideon, the owner, and reading magazines--the coffee is incredible and it's a comfortable neighborhood meeting place--nothing happens fast and I like that--I've been slowly constructing the base of his coffee bar for many months now--it's a constantly changing ongoing project that very well never be finished--

It started as a ladder Gideon put on a 2'x4' pony wall and filled with concrete--my biggest fear when he approached me about the project was that it might fall over and crush customers but we worked out some triangular supports to eliminate that possibility--I like the shape it's taking and I'm excited to see what form it takes in its slow organic progression--

Gideon and Kendal in front of the delicious croissants

Gideon doing something important

Home on a Friday Afternoon

I’m home on a Friday afternoon—my bathroom door is in my living room-- my claw foot bathtub is in my bedroom—my toilet is in the hallway—the positive side of all this is that my bathroom is getting close to completion and tomorrow I get to start on the cabinets—it’s always more difficult for me to work on my own space than on someone else’s—not having a bathroom, however, is good incentive to expedite the process—

Home in my life has been mercurial and transient—it’s moved in front and has seemed to appear behind me but rarely have I spent time within it—I haven’t been motionless long enough to create it around me—I have tried to “find” it through external means as opposed to allowing it to create itself through natural process—I’ve tried to adapt to someone else’s home without having any real sense of what it was to me—the past two years of being back in Vancouver have been about learning how to be still and within that stillness there has come a recognition that perhaps I am home—or at  least an awareness of that inherent connection I thought I was incapable of—

I have to get on those cabinets...

Function

I get a feeling of satisfaction in seeing something I’ve built being used for its intended purpose—on Friday I delivered the table and within ten minutes there was a party of seven sitting around it eating lunch—its surface holding plates of food, glasses of water, cups of coffee, crumpled napkins, elbows—its mirrored varnish surface reflecting conversation—shoes pressed against its base as people leaned back in their chairs—function in action—I like that a lot

Soul of a Tree

I'm reading a book at the moment called, "Soul of a Tree" by George Nakashima and it got me thinking about the nature of wood--why I love working with it over manufactured products--fact is that no one will ever write a book "Soul of a Sheet of 3/4" MDF" or "Soul of Polymer Resin"--every piece of wood has at one time been a part of some great living thing--namely, a tree--and every piece of wood is distinct with its individual grain, flow, coloring, texture, density--there's no soul in MDF--no life in polymer resin--

I was milling up a piece of walnut today and the depth in its grain seemed infinite--layer upon layer of its life--the passage of time represented in its unique patterns and their movements--wood evokes an emotional response--a feeling of warmth that only something living is capable of--I believe it is also a connection to nature and to something inside all of us that is familiar and comfortable--even when I am using manufactured products I always try to pair and balance them with wood detailing--though I lean towards modernism I try to always be aware of the necessity of soul and to respect that as best I can

The picture above is a slab of maple from Andy's Wood Barn in Abbostford, British Columbia

Heavy

Getting Shiny

My grandfather once told me his friends were afraid that he would decide to build his own coffin and it would be too heavy to lift--He made solid heavy furniture--He built my family a beautiful coffee table he constructed out of railroad ties banded together with thick strips of brass and we moved it from Florida to Maine--Prince Edward Island to Vancouver--and countless moves in between--it was indestructible--


In keeping with the Wilson family tradition I find myself often building very heavy pieces--Black Sabbath/Motorhead kind of heavy--The Wilsons are generally not known for their delicate natures and I am doing my best to carry this forward--this table being the perfect example--the top alone weighs a good 140 lbs and the bottom is around 80 lbs--I think my grandfather would be proud--


My friend Shane came over to help me move it into the paint room and it is presently receiving multiple coats of spar varnish (applied by my intrepid painter friend Mr. Jamey Koch)--it's getting as shiny as it is heavy!

The bottom upside down

Mistakes!!

TRIAGE

Sometimes I mess up--this happens primarily when I try to hurry things along or just don't bother taking proper precautions--this was the case yesterday and today was spent in reparation--so much of my job is solving problems or figuring out how to fix errors and this is how I've spent the majority of my carpentry career--

In the winter my shop tends to be rather chilly and in yesterday's case too cold for glue to bond the way I like it to and this caused problems with banding the veneered table top with solid oak--so today I built an operating room out poly panels and stuck a heater inside to avoid further angst--life was better....

SURGERY

Sunrise

Sunrise From My Bedroom Window

Some days it is much easier to get out of bed than others--today wasn't that difficult--Vancouver is a tricky place--a couple consecutive days of sunshine and it almost seems impossible to believe it's ever overcast and raining--I find myself siding with the belief that this is "the most beautiful place on earth" and thinking that it's ridiculous to entertain the thought of living elsewhere--

I try not to check the weather so I can be pleasantly surprised occasionally--however, checking it just now, it's supposed to drop back into its normal melancholic drizzle by tuesday--such is the manic nature of this city...

Preliminary Fit and Solid Edging

The dry fit of white oak veneered base pieces

Base piece with solid white oak edging