Conversations in Craft Spotlight: Dan Faia

Dan’s take on the sunflower carving brings a sense of height and movement to the design. To conceptualize his piece, Dan purchased several artificial sunflowers from a crafts store, made a frame out of poster board, and laid his tools into the composition. Each sunflower represents a different stage of life, and the gouge and plane—essential tools of a cabinetmaker—hang upon the frame.

Each sunflower represents a different stage of life, and the gouge and plane—essential tools of a cabinetmaker—hang upon the frame.

The black, red, and green stains are representative of the original colors of these early chests. This piece pays tribute to 17th century cabinetmakers, but also reflects Dan’s interest in exploring his own voice through three dimensional carvings and the manipulation of elevations within his objects.

Dan is a 1994 graduate of the NBSS Cabinet & Furniture Making program and is the Department Head. He teaches in both our Full-Time program and Continuing Education courses, in addition to running a custom furniture shop in New Hampshire. Before he joined our faculty, Dan worked with Phil Lowe CF ’74 and Ron Trapasso CF ’69, both master craftsmen. He has published numerous articles in Fine Woodworking.

This is part 12 of a 13-part series on the artisans in “Conversations in Craft,” a collaborative exhibit with NBSS and Fruitlands Museum.