New Hampshire Home January-February 2023 - 91

Opposite page: Woodworker Liz Grace places her violin inside " Fiddlehead, " a display cabinet made of sapele, a wood in the mahogany family. The grain, when
turned sideways, reminds her of the lines of a musical staff. The feet are modified violin scrolls, while the door pegs are ebony cello pegs and the hangers are
rosewood violin pegs.
Above: Grace made this bench, " Have a Seat, Everything is Fine, " for the New Hampshire Furniture Masters' 2021 " Alone Together " show, which focused on Covid and
other turbulent events in 2020. Grace and a friend used a pistol to create seven bullet holes in the top of the bench, and used a shotgun at the end of the benchtop
for a " blasted, shattered " effect. Underneath the curly maple veneer of the bench is black walnut. The legs were made from black walnut that had been chewed on.
by mice and chipmunks.
est by teaching herself. In a pre-internet
world, Grace learned through books and
magazines, or asked neighbors-anyone
willing to lend her some knowledge.
She hopes her work captures the energy
in the living space around us, and that
it moves others as well. Between working
in her shop and at the New Hampshire
nonprofit Circle Program, a mentoring
program for disadvantaged girls, Grace is
also learning the fiddle and mandolin.
New Hampshire Home [NHH]:
How did you become interested in
woodworking?
Liz Grace [LG]: As a really young kid, I
found wood fascinating. I loved the smell
and feel of it. When I was growing up in
junior high, girls took Home Ec. and boys
took shop. I went to three different high
schools, and only one of them would let
me take wood shop. I just totally loved it.
NHH: How did you learn without taking
classes or being an apprentice?
LG: Trial and error, which is the dangerous
part. Trial and error can sometimes
end in the error. I'm surprised I still have
10 fingers at this point. The internet didn't
exist, so knowledge was what others
would share with you or what you could
get from books or TV. Through the years I
acquired more tools, expanded my knowledge,
practiced skills and kept playing
with it, mostly on the side.
NHH: Does the way you learned play
a role in how you work today?
LG: It has forced me as a self-taught
woodworker to find my own expression.
There was nobody I was imitating,
though I certainly admired Krenov and
Sam (Maloof). James Krenov is very well
known for his cabinets. And he taught
at the College of the Redwoods. Sam
Maloof, also self-taught, began by making
furniture out of pallets. He's very well
known, especially for his rockers. He gave
a rocker to President Reagan.
NHH: How would you describe
your style?
LG: When a simple line is done elegantly
or just right, it can be very beautiful to
me. The Shakers, I think, not only brought
a simplicity of line to their creations, they
also brought functionality. And I find that
I also tend to do that. I want my piece
to work. I want it to function as a living,
working part of somebody's life.
nhhomemagazine.com | January / February 2023 89
PHOTO COURTESY SULLIVAN CREATIVE

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New Hampshire Home January-February 2023

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