contemporary furniture maker-contemporary furniture



	Home \| Gallery \| Commissioning \| About Us \| Contact Us \| Site Map \| Links

TEACHING WORKSHOP

Training & Inspiration

Jonathan Markovitz - June 2001 After a short career in commerce in the late '80s and a period spent studying fine art in the '90s, I decided that I wanted to become a furnituremaker. I looked at various college courses but none of these seemed to offer me a proper training in traditional skills. Then someone recommended David's workshop training and I realised that I had found what I was looking for. When I started the one year course, I was uncertain about my future plans - whether I'd work as a craftsman for another designer-maker or set up my own workshop - but I didn't worry about that and just got stuck into the business of acquiring and tuning up a set of hand-tools, being taught the basics of planing and joinery and shaping and making a proper workbench.

Jonathan Markovitz Three months later I was ready to make my first piece of fine furniture. A friend of mine offered to pay the material costs if I were to design and make for her a large bookcase cabinet in oak. Although I was at first a little daunted by the challenge of actually making what I had designed on paper, I soon realised that I had already acquired good foundations on which to build, and that the expertise was on hand to guide me through the more advanced techniques. The project was a large one and took up the rest of my time as a student, but this is precisely the point of the course: the quality of your making has to be to the highest standards throughout your career, and as a student you are given as much time as it takes to learn how to 'hit that quality.' My experience of the course, and the encouragement and advice I received from David Savage gave me the confidence to set up my own workshop in the area.

Jonathan Markovitz That was two years ago, and all that has changed is that my making has become quicker and crisper and I am constantly busy with selecting and preparing timber, designing and making pieces for new clients, preparing for exhibitions, doing my own accounts (this is the dull bit!) and finally sweeping up at the end of each day. Furniture making isn't a route to quick money or an easy life. Wood is a challenging material to design for and work with, and self-employment has its own demands. This is the outcome for me and it suits my needs. Some leave David's course with the bench-skills to gain employment in other furniture making workshops, some work for themselves making the designs of others. You don't necessarily need design skills (although these can be developed under David's tuition) - all you need is the wish to learn about wood and the both ancient and innovative techniques of how to work it.

The rest follows quite naturally.