About

About me; I got into making things when I decided to follow family tradition. There are a good number of artists and craftsmen in my family. I was introduced to laser engraving after I had discovered it during woodworking. I work part-time at the Woodcraft of Grand Rapids store where we have a shop display laser. I also do a fair amount of light woodworking. I think the laser engraving is very cool though, and think there is high potential for art and practical use. I am interested in connecting customers to jewelry and other items they find meaningful, and also in helping other businesses do the same.

 

A bit about the family history (read on if interested!)

It all started with my great grandparents. Great grandma and and grandpa Bissell were artists. They were jewelers who traveled the country selling their wares, from Michigan to Arizona and New Mexico. They made, and we still have, lots of their sterling silver jewelry embellished with beautiful natural stones and animal claws. Great grandma Bissell was also a painter. The family has lots of her original artwork set in hand carved and painted frames. Then there was grandma Harris, her daughter, an absolutely accomplished and wonderful painter who specialized in watercolors. Her paintings abound, with some in art museums in Europe. On top of all this are wonderful baskets, quilts, and some sculptures. Then there was my father, Michael, and his brother, Dale. These two men ran Harris Brothers Construction for many years. A different kind of craft for sure, but I take pride in the legacy they have left, and continue to leave, behind.

Understanding that I came from a lineage of artists and craftsmen has inspired me to take up artistry as well. I suppose I always was an artist; I have journals and journals of my own writings, a taste for arranging curiosities and collectibles, a desire to always try doing routine tasks in new and oftentimes knowingly time-consuming ways. I've always had a taste for symbolism and sentimentality, though often-times no medium to express it with.