John Barber

I didn’t start building the heavy tables for which I am known until I moved to Colonial Beach and built myself a woodshop that could handle the size of wood that I had available to me.  A friend from college (Ida Trusch) discovered a bandsaw Woodmill for sale and I split the cost with her and we built a woodlot on her property in Aylett, VA back in the 1990’s.  We bought a Ford 350 with a dump body and winch and went hunting wind shook wood.  We spent many happy hours clearing dead and dying trees from farmer’s fields.  A red oak or black walnut especially excited us.  Pines and willows we used for bonfire wood. Ida grew up in Mathews, Va and was raised on the water by her father who was a pound fisherman.  She became a sculptor and designer and I began working in silk-screening, acrylic assemblages and wood.  I truly enjoy making lots of noise and dust.

 

Ida taught me the value and attraction “flitch edge” or live edge on lumber.  She also taught me about lumber that was “spalted” or marked by fungus.  I began to experiment with lumber that before I dismissed as inferior and could see the potential for beauty and grace in the wood.