JCCFS: Tell us more about your upcoming woodworking class, ” Making Tools for Cooking and Eating” from January 19-24. It’s for all levels, correct?

JV: In Making Tools for Cooking and Eating, we will approach utensil making with a holistic view towards the woodshop. We will learn and practice various machines and hand tools such as the table saw, band saw, carving gouge and hand plane to create beautiful and unique pieces for serving, measuring and chowing down. We will start with full sized boards, and learn how to map out our projects to get the most from our material.

JCCFS: What can students expect to leave with? 

JV: Students can expect to leave class with a pile or beautiful finished items! our project list includes, spatulas, measuring spoons, chopsticks, a cutting board, a band saw box and any other special little trinkets you can squeeze out of your source material. Students can also expect to gain confidence with woodworking machines, especially the band saw and table saw, as well as hand held carving tools such as
gouges, chisels, rasps and more.

JCCFS: Tell us a little more about yourself for those who are unfamiliar.

JV:I started woodworking about ten years ago in college and fell head over heels for it. I pursued making my own work through a few different jobs and homes over the years, and at times when I didn’t have access to a woodshop, or time to invest in big projects, I focused on small things, specifically tools for cooking and eating! I have spent hours and hours creating artful items intended for use in the kitchen such as spoons, cutting boards, salad tossers, chopsticks and many more. Every one feels like a mini sculpture. These days, I am the director of the wood program at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, NC. I plan our curriculum, hire woodworkers to teach and also teach my own classes. I love to teach an array of projects, tools and techniques, from a carving knife to the table saw.

JCCFS: What is your favorite aspect of the John C. Campbell Folk School?

JV: I love the calm and welcoming spirit of the Folk School! It is such a fun and relaxing place for people from all walks of life to come together and express their creativity through craft, and to learn about and explore Appalachian traditions.

JCCFS: What’s something you’ve made recently that you’re proud of, and why?

JV: I have made many, many utensils! But one that stands our are my spatulas, which see a lot of mileage in my own kitchen and are crucial to the perfect scrambled eggs.

JCCFS: What tips would you give an aspiring woodworker? Anything you wish you knew earlier in your career?

JV: Make as much as you can, and pursue education any time you have the chance, at any stage in your career, there is always more to learn and room to grow.

JCCFS: Where do you draw inspiration from for your work?

JV: Wood is a material that comes from nature and nature is a big influence on my work. I am often designing my work with the surface tension of water on my mind, and hoping to convey that in the aesthetics of a finished piece. Wood may seem so separate from water in a lot of ways, but trees are like big straws, so in a sense, the wood grain is like a cross section of the flow of water and life through this living material.