Meet the Maker: Q&A with Scott

This is the first in an occasional series about the makers behind Foster's Beauties' artwork. 

Scott is cutting scrap glass into tiny rectangles that he put into the kiln to turn into tiny spheroids, which he hopes to fuse into a bowl. It's a lot of work to cut hundreds of those pieces of glass, and then have to clean them all before sticking them into the kiln! Can't wait to find out how his project turns out!
 

Scott is the man behind the beautiful wood pieces we sell (and the intricate glass art that we hope to someday sell!). But he's not just an artist: he will skate at the National Figure Roller-Skating Championships this summer in Albuquerque, maintains three heavily planted aquariums, and is an awesome dad and husband.

Q: You're an electrical engineer in your day job. What's appealing about spending your evenings and weekends working with wood?

A: Most of the art in my day job is buried down in layers that aren't seen by most people.  The only evidence of my hand is that the product does it's job, and a look inside will reveal beauty only to a small percentage of people. The projects at work often require a couple years to complete.

In the wood shop, most of what I do can be seen right up on the surface.  And often, I'm highlighting a spectacular piece of nature too: a grain pattern that is unique and lines that can be appreciated by a fairly wide audience.  I still aim for products that do a job and are useful.  While many projects take just a few weeks, there are not a lot of them that require over 6 months to complete (unless I'm really low on time that I can spend, and I don't think any projects would require that much time if woodworking were my full-time job).

I find it rewarding to put that first coat of finish on a wood project and watch the colors and depth pop.  Or to put a piece of pattern bar into the (glass) kiln and remove it after it has flowed into a new shape and become something different and unique compared with what I started.

 

In my day job, projects go in directions dictated by customers and team think.  In the wood shop, I can realize ideas that are shaped by my own desires.  I still have to cater to the requirements of the wood and glue, or glass and heat, but there is a freedom that makes exploring the unknown and a depth of figuring out new techniques to do things that is exciting.  To be sure, there is lots to learn in the day job too, always progress in engineering to be learned, but choosing directions for my own work adds an element of playful fun.

That's all for this round. Be sure to check back to hear more from the makers here at Foster's Beauties!