What a beautiful gift these would make for that special man in your life, Valentines day is coming up soon, why not treat your loved one to one of the gorgeous handcrafted pens? We are lucky to have such a unique crafter as part of our community! Here's a little bit more about Patrick!
Where are you from?
I grew up in Ventura, CA but
lived in Fort Collins, CO for so long that really feels like home. I sure miss it!
When did you start to craft?
I have been "crafting" as long as I can remember. When I was a kid it was Popsicle stick castles and cardboard box forts. A few years back it was chocolates and now I work in wood. I have been chip carving for several years but just picked up wood turning and penmaking in 2008.
How did you hear about Etsy and when did you join?
I don't remember who told me about Etsy. It was one of those random things. I created The Norsk Woodshop last year in February. I really can't believe that my shop has been up for almost a year!
What kind of market is your work geared cowards?
Everyone needs a pen but I really tend to market toward guys, or more specifically gifts for guys. Besides Etsy, I have tried shops on ArtFire and 1000 Markets but Etsy seems have such a huge (and great) list of customers so I think it is time to focus my efforts a bit.
Everyone needs a pen but I really tend to market toward guys, or more specifically gifts for guys. Besides Etsy, I have tried shops on ArtFire and 1000 Markets but Etsy seems have such a huge (and great) list of customers so I think it is time to focus my efforts a bit.
What types of crafts/artwork do you do?
Handcrafted pens made of exotic woods from all over the world and colorful acrylics. I love my pens! I pretty much carry a different pen with me every day and have sold the one out of my pocket on a couple of occasions.
I turn other functional and artistic items including bowls, vases, and boxes. Most of my bowls are turned with "found wood" including wood found on the side of the road or at our local tree trimming recycling area.
What kinds of materials do you like to work with?
I use a lot of wood including found wood and pen blanked sourced from around the world (mostly from Ebay). Some of my favorite species are olive wood (most of which comes from Bethlehem), koa, camphor, and box elder.
I also turn a lot of pens out of acrylic pen blanks. These are pre-cast blanks that have awesome colors and when finished have a wonderful feel and are very iridescent in the sunlight.
What are your inspirations?
I try to let the wood talk to me. When I mount a piece of wood on the lathe and start to remove the wood and make it round you can start to see what it wants to look like. I use the grain patterns and flaws in the wood dictate where the next cut should be to make a great bowl or vase. As for my pens, they are a bit simpler...it is just matching up the right kit with the right blank and turning a great shape. I try to stick with smooth transitions and soft finishes.
What is some advice you could share with other crafters?
Do a craft show! You will love the face to face interactions with your customers (or prospective customers). It is a great way to get feedback on your designs, get ideas for new products, and start to build your local clientèle (and mailing list). It doesn't have to be fancy, just get out there!
Where else can we find you?
beautiful items and what a wonderful feature! great job!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved this shop, it's unique and his items are stunning:)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the awesome feature!
ReplyDeleteGreat feature and one of my favorite indie artisans! I am a pen freak and absolutely love his pens! His other work is equally as awesome!
ReplyDeleteGR8 Design. Love Retro. It's so up my alley!
ReplyDeleteWow, really awesome pens! So sleek yet substantial. Great for guys!
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