Located in Dover, New Hampshire
e-mail: cynjane@aol.com
AUTOBIOGRAPHY --
My interest in woodworking stems from my roots — my Lithuanian grandpa, and my dad whose hands tackled the toughest woodworking projects, plus my mom, with her keen, artistic eye. My formal training consisted of a single woodworking class at San Francisco State University in 1978. I graduated with a degree in Creative Arts, Interdisciplinary.
Following college, I invested my father's $500 "congratulations cash" in second-hand tools -- a three-wheeled band saw, Sears Craftsman 48" belt sander, a tiny tabletop drill press, and a lathe -- and began my craft-artist career with a display of my "Wooden Goodies" on the sidewalk near Berkeley's University of California. The Street Artist program in Berkeley provided a unique opportunity to sell my work 365 days a year to an ever-changing mix of shoppers.
Throughout the year I would show my wares to students, professors, bankers and secretaries, alumni, pan-handlers, and families from suburbia. I'd sit in the sun (and in the rain) along the curb with dozens of other artists and free spirits, breathing in the bus fumes (and other aromas!), soaking up the atmosphere. Making enough money to get by. Never sure of the size of "my space," I would devise displays that could work in 4 to 14 feet. Prime locations paid off handsomely, especially during the holidays.
I got my first taste of the craft fair scene when KPFA (public radio) held their prestigious annual Christmas show in the Pauli Pavillion on campus. The crowds that came to that affair were thick and well-heeled. And they spent wads of cash on the way in, having to pass through a couple hundred of us street artists along the way. It was shades of the future, but still a half-dozen years away for me.
Before I really hit the fair circuit, I changed my craft. My marriage to a fellow street artist (a silversmith) and the birth of our son were turning points. Several months into the routine of settle baby down, suit up in smock, mask, and goggles and start sawing or sanding, listening all the while to the baby monitor through the headphones, hear him cry, dust off, unmask, de-smock, and trip upstairs to settle him down again...and again...and again...I knew something had to give. What's more, my wood wasn't selling well on the same table with my husband's jewelry, and he was carrying that load alone, while the baby was so young. So, I became a jeweler, too! A niobium jeweler, to be precise, focusing my designs on earrings.
It was a cleaner craft, more compatible with A.B.'s sterling silver rings, and I enjoyed the creative use of color through the anodizing process. (In fact, A.B. introduced me to niobium, having learned of it at a jeweler's convention he attended in Los Angeles.) This was about the same time that Holly Yashi was beginning to crest on the jewelry scene, so I was able to ride that wave of popularity for a while, both on the street (in Berkeley and at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco) and at some local Art and Wine Festivals in the Bay Area.
But change was in the offing once more. With the birth of our daughter and our subsequent move to rural Sonoma County, my sojourns to the familiar street scene became less frequent. I kept up with the craft fairs, but as A.B.'s new craft (pen-making) became more and more demanding of his time in the shop, I made the decision to help him. This put in motion the submergence of my jewelry business to the point that I became a full-time woodworker once again! And, of course, I also developed my own line of pens and other turned wooden goodies.
My enjoyment of color has carried over with my change of craft -- in the wood I choose to work. It is Birch (a hardwood found throughout Canada and the Northern Hemisphere) which has been dyed and laminated. I like the fact that Birch is neither a tropical rainforest wood, nor is it endangered. And the dyeing/lamination process creates a material that is waterproof and extremely hard -- features which are preferable for the delicate, intricate turnings I do.
I use a 1/2 hp. JET Mini-Lathe, and work without the use of templates or guides. All of my turnings are done free-hand, as the spirit moves me, so every piece is unique. Among my most popular styles is an ergonomically-shaped pen with a "dip grip" that needs to be shaped by hand with grinding and sanding, in addition to the turning. It is preferred by people with arthritis, since it is so easy to write with and comfortable to hold.
My pens and wood turnings have been featured in art shows and craft fairs in more than 16 states across the USA. I was honored to be selected as one of three finalists in the 2001 NICHE Awards competition in the category of Wood-Turned, for my classic "Write Back" quill pen. Among my customers are writers, artists, architects, engineers, poets, lawyers, accountants, doctors, nurses, teachers, and people who were searching for a special gift for that certain someone “who has everything.”
I design my wooden goodies to feel welcome in the hand and to engage the eye with intriguing curves and colors. Hopefully you will enjoy them for years to come.
Post Script -- Time passes, life changes ... or remains the same ... depending on your perspective.
With both children now grown, I've answered the call to return to my roots in New England, to care for my elderly parents. And I begin the process anew -- setting up a woodshop, finding craft fairs to do, making new friends, re-adapting to the climate! What more is in store has yet to be seen. Stay posted...
