Please introduce yourself and your art medium.
Hello! I’m Jane Markham, a 78-year-old woodworker. I create boxes out of our Northern California hardwoods from orchards & forests.
What is the most challenging aspect of being an artist?
The joy is revealing the beauty in each piece of wood I work on. When I enter my wood shop (the bottom floor of my home) the most challenging aspect is my mission to be present & focused as I use my big machines & tools that can be dangerous the moment my mind wanders. I must be centered & in control. One of our favorite sayings is BE HERE NOW! My skills improve as I go into my shop realm where I strive for accuracy & the best perfection possible. Right after I took over everything in my shop after my husband’s passing, my special supplier of my oil said, “Be careful & keep your ten fingers”! I always remind him—I still have them!
What do you hope viewers take away from your artwork?
I create treasure boxes & Tibetan-style incense boxes that highlight the grains & patterns naturally occurring in Black Walnut, English Walnut, & Maple Burl logs & slabs. I want viewers to enjoy & appreciate the craftsmanship of bringing the tree to a new life. What we can see in all parts of each box—concentrating on the choice pieces for the tops. “Keep the Spirit of the tree alive”.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
As ‘The Tree Lady’ for 29 years, I was set up & ready for 50-100 young students at 8 am to listen to my presentation on the importance of trees in our lives. I traveled throughout Nevada & Placer counties, so I had to get up at the crack of dawn. Also, I had years of work participating in Art Shows around the western states. Now I sleep in a bit as I can relax & I make my own schedule to plan to work several hours in my shop most days. I reserve my evenings for chats, eats, & downtime.
What role does experimentation play in your creative process?
My experimentation in my creative process is seeing what the features in each piece of wood are showing me. Their uniqueness as I send them through my planer as a rough, dark, old slab to awaken their sheer beauty as each is one of a kind.
If you could take a week off from your regular life to immerse yourself in learning something new, what would it be?
I’d like to learn how to make Pine Needle Baskets. I want to use our local Ponderosa Pines around my neighborhood. I’ve always been interested in Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle, and to leave the leaves to compost into black gold soil. I want to learn about harvesting & the importance of its preparation. I want to create something simple that our ancestors were masters of. It would be an accomplishment as well as another part of my love for trees.
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Read Jane’s previous interview here.
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