Kevin Rodel

www.kevinrodel.com My interest in woodworking began in my early 20's soon after graduation from LaSalle College in Philadelphia. I had volunteered to do repair work on the ship, Gazella Primera, a 180 foot wooden barkentine then owned by the Philadelphia Maritime Museum. Within a few years I found myself in Maine where most of the ships "crew" hailed from. After several years working in Maine and learning the skills of traditional joinery and the subtile but celibate details of Shaker design I was ready for a change. I opened my own shop in 1986 and soon embraced the kaleidoscopic variety of the International Arts & Crafts Movement. Now, after 25 years of venturing out on my own I still work hard to infuse a strong sense of the present into my designs without jettisoning those comforting and familiar aspects of traditional forms and materials that link us to our past. I use the highest quality but sustainably harvested hardwoods and frequently incorporate other visual and tactile materials into my designs, such as; stained-glass, leather and even rope knot-work, a distant connection to my early days on a tall-ship.