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Phil Smith, Artisan Woodworker
Phil developed an interest in art at an early age and was encouraged by his mother who provided him with an endless supply of paper and materials. Wood called to him also. Collecting scraps of wood from building sites and using his Dad’s nails and tools, he’d create assemblages in the backyard. Drawing and design were a constant source of entertainment with a definite bent towards architectural forms. There were a lot of forts constructed in the local woodlot.
After high school, a job in a foundry, though interesting, convinced Phil to seek a more creative career in higher education. He enrolled at Portland State in the pre-architecture program eventually graduating eight years later with degrees in sculpture and secondary art ed, a wife (Pat) and two children. His focus had turned to jewelry and metalsmithing.
A teacher at Franklin High School in Portland, Phil taught a variety of art subjects such as art metal, ceramics, photography and even general math. Twenty-six years later, he and Pat retired to 20 acres of farmland where they designed and built their dream home where their three children, spouses and nine grandchildren gather for celebrations.
Phil says, “I have continued to find creative outlets through seasons of life that have included logging and building, gardening and tree planting, cows and calving, hospitality and sharing our blessings with family, friends and those in need of temporary shelter. I have found creativity to be a highly effective form of therapy for stress and discouragement; finding beauty and order even in scraps of wood found in our box of firewood.”
Phil developed an interest in art at an early age and was encouraged by his mother who provided him with an endless supply of paper and materials. Wood called to him also. Collecting scraps of wood from building sites and using his Dad’s nails and tools, he’d create assemblages in the backyard. Drawing and design were a constant source of entertainment with a definite bent towards architectural forms. There were a lot of forts constructed in the local woodlot.
After high school, a job in a foundry, though interesting, convinced Phil to seek a more creative career in higher education. He enrolled at Portland State in the pre-architecture program eventually graduating eight years later with degrees in sculpture and secondary art ed, a wife (Pat) and two children. His focus had turned to jewelry and metalsmithing.
A teacher at Franklin High School in Portland, Phil taught a variety of art subjects such as art metal, ceramics, photography and even general math. Twenty-six years later, he and Pat retired to 20 acres of farmland where they designed and built their dream home where their three children, spouses and nine grandchildren gather for celebrations.
Phil says, “I have continued to find creative outlets through seasons of life that have included logging and building, gardening and tree planting, cows and calving, hospitality and sharing our blessings with family, friends and those in need of temporary shelter. I have found creativity to be a highly effective form of therapy for stress and discouragement; finding beauty and order even in scraps of wood found in our box of firewood.”