I've spent a lifetime working on furniture - and it isn’t over
yet. At the age of 14, I had a part-time job working for a fine arts
dealer. One day she sent me out with
an antique Queen Anne rosewood chair (the surface covered with smoke
and soot) and a bucket of denatured alcohol. As I washed it down,
the gunk drizzled off and revealed gleaming rosewood underneath. My
life was forever changed.
Since
then I've learned a wide variety of skills not only in woodworking,
but in finishing. |
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Most people fall into one or the other - but rarely both.
I'm a curious blend, I suppose!
Teri
is one of only two women featured on the cover of
Fine Woodworking Magazine |
 Issue
#163, 06/03 |
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I've also spent years building “new antiques”.
When I find an old piece that's a delight in proportion, wood selection,
and style, I reproduce it with my own spin. I've developed a gallery of
Queen Anne, Chippendale, and Federal pieces that are available by order.
Rendering of the store & home
in New Hampshire |
I
will always love Early American style - particularly after living
in New Hampshire. |
| But
now that I live in New Mexico, I find myself drawn to the Arts &
Crafts style as well. I love tiger maple! |
Home & workshop in
New Mexico |
Contracted
restoration along with my own original
work fill my days. Still, after 39 years, I can’t resist a broken
jewel that rises like a phoenix to its former glorious self with a little
elbow grease!
I am an unusual example of work and life with no discernible
separation. It’s a past life thing, I'm sure. |
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As for the present, I've found joy in teaching
what I have gained over the years. |
| I've
discovered that teaching is great fun and I seem to learn the most.
Some of the students even pass on the task of finishing
their new creations to me! |
These days it seems there are fewer and fewer kindred souls. My students
often ask incredulously, “You actually make a living at this?”
My answer is yes, of course, but I feel a bit like a dinosaur. Where are
the folks for me to pass on my skills? Unfortunately, most are at Walmart...
buying and filling up empty souls and carts of things that will never
be old gracious jewels loved long after Walmart is gone. I hope to find
more kindred souls!
I'm sure I'll start another book
project soon - along with my usual pile of other projects. I'll have to
live a long time to finish all of them!
~
Teri
info@terimasaschi.com
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