Pens

As a child, I would go to my grandparent´s house and play in their back yard. It was about an acre with a well and several bird houses perched on the branches of blooming trees. Two German Shepherds ran cross the other side of the fence chasing us from afar, barking to get our attention in an attempt for some much needed treats. My grandfather would step out of a small flower adorned workshop and would watch us play from the shaded porch. US kids would spend hours in that workshop painting the bird houses my grandfather made us or playing with the much smaller, less dangerous tools. It was a place where my family took serenity in and was loved by all of us.

Over winter break I went back to the workshop to make some pens. My grandpa does a lot of woodworking and one of his favorite projects is pens made on a lathe. I asked him to teach me how to make them a few years back and I have been hooked ever since.

Its not a long process, and can take only two hours to make a pen, so I would spend an afternoon over at their house, making pens with my grandfather's help, only to be reluctantly called in by my grandma for lunch.

Now you can make pens out of wood or acrylic which you buy in long rectangular blocks. I prefer acrylic because as you carve it on the lathe, the shavings come off in neat, thin spirals.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time in the workshop with my grandpa. Making pens with him and seeing the 3D art he created inspired me to venture out into the sculptural world, and eventually land on jewelry. One day I hope to have my own workshop.