Brenda Watts

CattailsWoodwork

11,288 Sales 5 out of 5 stars

Hermitage, PE

2,169

95 Following 2,169 Followers

I have been working with wood and selling handmade things for ten years out of my studio in Hermitage PEI, Canada. I graduated from the Fine Woodworking Program at Holland College School of Visual Arts in 1998, then returned for an extra year before building and starting my own shop.

My wood studio is just a few paces from our old farmhouse in rural PEI, that I share with my husband, three British Shorthair cats and my coworkers in fur suits, Labrador Retrievers:Jack & Hazel. My daughter Meghan, who works with warm glass on her days free from her 'real job' shares some of my studio space, she makes all the eyes for the whales, owls, dog and bird carvings. She is also known to spend a Saturday with the sander or the drill press when I am really busy. My husband helps with the packing, is excellent at making odd sized shipping boxes and is invaluable during the Christmas season manning the tape gun...also does a wonderful shop 'clean-up'.

I am a woodworker for a simple reason, I love wood… I am drawn to the warmth, the softness, the beauty and the possibilities of wood. I believe that beautiful things made from wood can have a purpose beyond what pleases the eye, they should bring pleasure in use and that handmade things should be passed on from generation to generation. I try to achieve in my work, things that are upbeat, fresh and useful, sometimes fanciful and witty and always finely crafted, wonderful to touch.

Some pieces are crafted using fine cabinet woods such as black walnut, cherry and mahogany, from sustainable sources and managed plantations, many pieces are crafted from local woods that are from trees that may have fallen during storms or ones that have been cut for various reasons.
I also love to recycle wood from old furniture, houses, old wooden barns……..A large amount of my work is quietly done with hand tools, planing.. carving…. dovetails cut by hand……..lathe turned pieces, shaped and finished.

There is a small retail gallery within my wood studio with various works where I welcome visitors all year. My work can also be found at select galleries and shops across Canada and the US