Monday, July 28, 2008

The Longing for the Past Continues

During the middle of the trip we spent a couple of days in West Virginia. Most of what we did took place on the morning of our second day in the state.

At the Tamarack Artisan's Center in Beckley, WV, there was a lot of hand-crafted stuff, included a lot of the products of the state's wineries. I found the furniture more interesting. Around the edge of the building there were actually workshops for wood workers, potters, instrument makers, and more. A pretty cool place.

A close up of the above chest of drawers.

A secretary with a really cool look. The wood itself was bird's eye maple which has a really neat wavy visual texture despite being sanded and varnished smooth.

This is just a really cool painting from the Tamarack's art gallery. It's called "The Search" and is by an artist called Patch Whisky. Too bad I didn't have $849 to take it home. I searched through the prints outside the gallery but couldn't find anything for this painting or anything else by this artist.

You know what? You try taking photos in a coal mine. This mine was active in the late 1800s and early 1900s before being abandoned. It was taken over as a museum back in the mid 1900s and the guides are all retired miners. The Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley was actually more interesting than I thought it would have been.

5 comments:

Hank Gay said...

Answer the lady; enquiring minds want to know.

Meaghan said...

I love that furniture! It's so detailed.

Courtney said...

I like the wavy pattern in the wood. That's cool.

Chris said...

Shame that custom-made wood furniture counts as a historical artifact, when all our fancy technology should make it easier than ever to create.

Jacob said...

Julie (and Hank): Nope. Sorry.

Meaghan (and Courtney): The photos don't even do them justice. Got $6000 to spare?

Chris: That furniture was probably only a couple of years old at most. This was an artisan center, not an antique mall. You can still get hand-made furniture. You just have to be rich to afford it.

Or have a grandfather who owns an upholstery shop and who considers making and refinishing furniture his hobby.