A feel good story for the holidays.

I want to talk a little bit about that rare group of tools that many of us have in our care. These are the tools that are cherished for very personal reasons - their value goes way beyond what was paid for them. They are cherished because of how they were acquired - an unexpected gift from someone special, or one of those tools that represents personal inspiration, or a gift that was sent as a thank-you. Over the years I have had the good fortune to gather a few of these tools - my Bill Carter mitre plane, a few exquisite Japanese tools, two certain left-handed plow planes to name a few. I use most of these tools - but a few are simply admired for their pure beauty and as a reminder of the hands that made them. The stories behind the tools are what elevate them to this rarefied group.

Our neighbour Shannon Reynolds is a portrait painter, and over the course of a few conversations this past summer, I rather shyly asked if she would be interested or willing to paint a portrait (or two) of a few of these tools. Now to say Shannon is a portrait painter does not really cover it. She is an exceptional painter. You owe it to yourself to take a few moments to take a look at her work. And in particular - read this!

Shannon seemed quite interested in the idea and I was very pleased that there was a distinction between still life and a portrait. She “got it” right away.

A few weeks ago, she stopped by to see a few of the tools. We had a wonderful, long conversation about tools, woodworking, painting and life in general. She was particularly interested in the stories behind the tools and wanted to capture that in the portrait somehow. She left the shop with the Carter mitre plane in her pocket.

A few days later, she sent an email to let me know she had visited Bill’s site and had even sent them a note to let them know what she was doing and to ask permission to use some of the copy from their site as background for the portrait. They very kindly agreed. A few days after that - she sent me another email with these two attachments;



Shannon Reynolds, Mitre plane in brass and boxwood, oil and gold leaf on panel, 10" x 10", © 2008


Mitre plane in brass and boxwood, oil and gold leaf on panel, detail

I am thrilled to say the least... and I haven’t even seen the real portrait yet!

And the story does not end here. I will pass you along to Shannon’s blog to read the latest chapter in this amazing story... what an incredible world we live in.