Advice from a Master
Auguste Therrien 1872 Advice from a Master Measure twice before you make the cut, then cut once more when the wood objects. Respect the grain; it knows which way to go, which is another way of saying you don’t. Learn every rule the old masters left behind, then learn which ones were written by cowards. Keep your tools honed, your hands steady, your eye clear, and your best chisel somewhere you cannot find it. Let the medium speak before you speak for it, wood has opinions, paint has grudges, stone remembers. A straight line is the spine of good design, but a crooked road has better stories. Do not force the material into your idea, your idea is probably the weakest thing in the room. Work slowly enough to notice what is happening, but not so slowly the work mistakes you for furniture. Never decorate what does not need decoration, a corpse with gold buttons is still a corpse. Make every stroke earn its place, then forgive the one that wandered in drunk. A craftsman knows when the work i...
