John Shrader
I try to convey a feeling of grace and elegance with my work. I love the richness of wood grain and delight in displaying it so others can also appreciate its beauty. While I find perfection admirable, for me it is the siren song leading to being safe, so I strive most of all for excellence. I utilize my background in engineering to facilitate executing difficult projects, but the technology is always subservient to communicating a feeling or an idea. For me, working in my shop is a joyful experience. I hope that this joy is communicated to those who acquire my work, and that they share it.
I have made things with my hands as long as I can remember, such as model airplanes, jewelry, furniture, optical instruments, and most recently wood turnings. I retired from Boeing in 1998 where I was first an engineer and then a manager working with explosives, lasers, electric guns, advanced inspection techniques, etc. While I enjoyed my Boeing career immensely, I missed being "hands on" my last years as a manager. Shortly before I retired I started wood turning. About 6 years ago I ran out of friends and relatives to give my bowls to, so I started selling my work. In 2008, my turning won the NW Fine Woodworking 29th annual box competition in both the juried and people's choice categories.
I try to convey a feeling of grace and elegance with my work. I love the richness of wood grain and delight in displaying it so others can also appreciate its beauty. While I find perfection admirable, for me it is the siren song leading to being safe, so I strive most of all for excellence. I utilize my background in engineering to facilitate executing difficult projects, but the technology is always subservient to communicating a feeling or an idea. For me, working in my shop is a joyful experience. I hope that this joy is communicated to those who acquire my work, and that they share it.
I have made things with my hands as long as I can remember, such as model airplanes, jewelry, furniture, optical instruments, and most recently wood turnings. I retired from Boeing in 1998 where I was first an engineer and then a manager working with explosives, lasers, electric guns, advanced inspection techniques, etc. While I enjoyed my Boeing career immensely, I missed being "hands on" my last years as a manager. Shortly before I retired I started wood turning. About 6 years ago I ran out of friends and relatives to give my bowls to, so I started selling my work. In 2008, my turning won the NW Fine Woodworking 29th annual box competition in both the juried and people's choice categories.
