Backwoods Chairs

I started this project in 2019, as an idea with my publisher Lost Art Press, and it’s slowing built to this point. The book is nearing the editing and design phase, where it becomes a real thing. I plan to share more here in the coming months and on the LAP blog. Stories of chairmaking, perserverance, longevity, gratitude, stuggles, and beuty.

I loved making this book over the past four years. It took me down lanes and to places I’d only imaged, or read about elsewhere. Focused on the traditions of Central Appalachia, the book is a search for the remaining ladderback chairmakers working from the old ways.

Below are a few of the images we’re considering for a promotional poster, which gave me an opportunity to revisit a couple of my favorites from the travels.

the drawknife

Pine Croft.