Back in Issue No. 3 (Spring 2011), we featured a story on Herriott Grace, a collaboration between Nikole Herriott and her father Lance. A wood craftsman, Lance hand-carves and turns wood objects like cake pedestals and spoons, while Nicole runs the online shop that sells his creations. He lives in Ontario, Canada while Nikole is in Toronto—they are 3400 km apart.
The photographer of that story was Thayer Allyson Gowdy.
Perhaps Nikole and Lance’s story resonated with her and planted a seed of inspiration because last year Thayer launched a venture with her “pops,” Joe, called The Wilderness Workshop. Joe is a stained glass artist in Vermont and Thayer manages their online outpost in San Francisco—they are 3100 miles apart.
Feathers are a mainstay of the The Wilderness Workshop’s offerings—as both Thayer and Joe share a love for wildlife. Each piece is hand-cut by Joe and features silver, black, or copper veins. Together they discuss the meanings behind certain birds and decide what colors and materials to use for each feather. I appreciate that these aren’t simply generic feathers, but there is thought and research behind each design. Even the cuts made in each piece mimic the breaks in a feather’s barbs.
And as if the bi-coastal father-daughter approach isn’t heart-warming enough, they also brought in another member: Thayer’s mom, who now handles inventory, glass orders, shipping, and even doing some bird research as well.
With that kind of craft, care, and family pride ingrained into each stained glass piece, you know you’re getting something truly special.
{Photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy}