Session Six/July 16-20

Dwain Cromwell
Building a Gentleman’s Chest

Studio
5 Day Class (9am-4pm)
Tuition: $265 (includes lab fee)
Materials: $50 and up

Build a gorgeous Gentleman’s Chest from exotic wood! Students will begin with a solid block of figured maple, and will be guided to craft a personal desk chest for holding personal items and/or important papers. The solid block will be sliced apart in such a way as to remove the interior block, and put back together to retain the original figured look. A false bottom interior lid will be will also be created, making a secret compartment. Detailed attention will be given to proper preparing of figured maple to maximize its potential finished luster and striking grain figure. Mixing and application of custom grain-enhancing formulas will also be covered. Finishing applications will be started, as progress and weather allow.

Dwain Cromwell works artistically with exotic woods, including highly-figured maple (which will be used in this class), bubinga, dogwood, redwood, oak, wenge, and walnut. Creations range from boxes, small chests, vases, sculptures, wall hangings, and custom tables. He has been selected three times to exhibit at the Fayetteville Fine Arts Festival. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Arkansas, and studied in the MFA poetry program there under James Whitehead and Miller Williams. He also engraves his original, limited edition, hand-printed poems on exotic wood fragments. He lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.