I Make Treen!
by Susan G Holland from my story originally published in Cowbird.com
From Wikipedia: “Anything from wooden plates and bowls, snuff boxes and needle cases, spoons and stay busks to shoehorns and chopping boards can be classed as treen. Domestic and agricultural wooden tools are also usually classed with treen.”
This is such fun — to know I am a treenmaker!
I had no idea I was a treen maker until a lovely fellow artist in the UK who makes amazing cast silver and bronze chess men [and chess women] told me he liked my “treen.”
I asked him what treen is?
He said it has to do with antique wood useful things.
I am suddenly a “treenmaker!”
My friend, Philip Nadin, has retired from working in the tool-making industry. This quiet man knows a lot about computers and software, and a lot about photography. AND…he knows a lot about tools of all kinds, including treen!
This life-long craftsman, now free to make his own crafts, turned to sculpting miniatures. Beautiful sculpted, cast and finished tiny works of art in silver and bronze and other metals.
His sterling silver and bronze chess set has been awarded a distinctive prize and others of his works are seen around and about in exhibitions.
Philip is not only a craftsman of silver, but he is also, without trying, a craftsman of words. Of course his language is marked by the local eccentricities of the Lake Country and thereabouts. But the way he puts it together is so poetic that once I get him talking I am charmed to the bones.
A loving family man who is (no surprise) a superb photographer, I am so very fortunate to have found him as a friend. On LinkedIn.com at first, and then several other art sites that followed from there.
If you run into Philip, he may be very hard to catch because he has a dog named Spike who is a remarkable breed that can run faster than anything.
Philip Nadin is a great find in the beautiful northwestern highlands of England.
Originally published at cowbird.com by ©SGHolland
