Creating with my hands is a way of life for me–always has been and I hope it always will be. Who would have thought that a job making commercial metal door pulls and handles in Colorado when I was 19 years old would eventually lead me to the life of an artist in Hawaii? Of course, there were a few stops along the way. I moved into glass fabrication–the big, huge sheets of plate glass for table tops, doors, etc. and when a downturn in the economy hit in the 80’s, a company in San Francisco offered me a job. It was there I decided to start a stone fabrication business that I was a partner in for more than a decade. Mother nature creates some pretty incredible materials, and I was using them to creating kitchen counters, fireplaces, showers, and floors out of stone slabs. As the business grew, I got stuck doing more and more management and less creating.
After Tiffany and I married and honeymooned on Kauai, our lives changed profoundly. We fell in love with the islands and realized life is too short not to do what you love. We made the leap in 2004 and have never looked back.
I’d always wanted to do fine woodworking, and had a bunch of unused tools to prove it. Koa wood gave us the inspiration to try to make a living at woodworking–we’d never seen such an incredible wood. It has led us on a remarkable journey of collaboration, making jewelry boxes, turnings, furniture, and our signature platters with translucent details.
But the journey continues and the process with our platters led me to try another idea–abstract paintings with bold, metallic colors. I’m really enjoying creating and find that everything in my surroundings provides inspiration. We constantly comment on how blessed we are to be able to call Hawaii “home.”
Being able to transform a thought, an idea, into physical form through my hands gives me such joy. But that’s only half the cycle. When you experience a piece of my work that brings you joy, and you buy it, you are buying a moment in my life and allowing me to continue creating. Mahalo for your appreciation!
Website
http://timothyallanshafto.com/
