Helps to have a cute kid who doesn’t (usually) mind sitting in once and while as a model. Here’s Issy with another of Mike Millard’s gorgeous Froggys. Been shooting with Mike and Co. for years now, and it’s always a good time. To see more of these beautiful works of art, check out the Froggy site.
So by now most of you know that I’ve shot just about all the pix for my friends at Froggy Bottom Guitars for about the past 12 years or so. You might be excused if you thought it get a little rote after a while, but you’d be wrong. Each and every guitar that comes out of the shop is a genuine masterpiece, but unlike many examples of fine art that are designed only to be admired, we get to play Froggys. So not only do we have something visually stunning, we get the added pleasure of sonic excellence. As one Grammy Award winning guitarist asked recently after playing a guitar built for one lucky player: “Does she know what she has here?”
Which brings us around to the latest example of guitarmaking excellence: the Tom Humphreys Guitar. Tom was a well respected and innovative guitar maker who died unexpectedly at the age of 59. And so, in a style not at all atypical, the Froggy crew built a one-off masterpiece with the intention of donating the proceeds from its sale to Tom’s wife and children. For more, check out the Froggy Bottom site. Read Tom’s obit in the NY Times here. And here’s the Humphrey…
Hand tool woodworker extraordinaire Scott Nehring
VT is a veritable incubator for highly talented craftpeople and artisans. My pals at Froggy Bottom Guitars certainly come to mind, as well as a variety of painters, sculptors, potters, and woodworkers. When Scott Nehring and I first met over a decade ago at the now – sadly – defunct Stratton Arts Festival, I was immediately impressed by the quality of his work and willingness to share what he knew.
Armed with an impressive set of skills and an equally impressive mindset that will accept nothing less than impeccable work, Scott works in the hand tool tradition of master Japanese woodworkers of times past. His knowledge of his art is expansive, and he has won the not-easily-surrendered respect of traditional woodworkers the world over. As a result, he’s been afforded the luxury of producing magnificent one-off pieces of furniture for individuals able – and willing – to commission him.
Scott’s also been able to deftly transfer his skill to the making of wonderful violins, one of which is the treasured possession of the resident violinist in our home. Handmade instruments of this caliber are difficult to find, at any price, and considering the huge influx to these shores of cheap, but reasonably well made instruments from China, and now Korea, it’s a tribute to tenacity that Scott and other makers like him – Doug Cox comes to mind – hang in there. We did some photos a while back of Scott’s work and they were posted on his website, which is apparently off-line right now, but don’t let that stop you.
And if you’re into quality for quality’s sake, you could do a lot worse than to plug in with the guys at Froggy Bottom, Doug Cox, or Scott Nehring, all of whom are continuing in the long tradition of VT artisans. Photographing this work is hardly work at all. MTC… Herve
