The people that we meet along the way in this journey is the most special part about it. Josie Vogel exemplifies the previous statement. In meeting Josie, we have gotten to know a kind soul, curious spirit, and continuous pursuit to make the perfect wooden vase.
When we first met Josie several years ago, she had only just begun down her path, and was yet to gain her true footing as an expert woodworker. At the time, Josie was working for the studio of Jim Galluci, a nationally-known local sculpture artist best known for his 9/11 tribute sculpture at the corner of South Elm Street and MLK Jr. Blvd. in downtown Greensboro. Needless to say, when we first met Josie she was more a welder than a woodworker, but over the course of several years, a lot tends to change.
Nowadays, Josie works as the Director of Woodworking at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, NC, where she teaches courses the cover a variety of woodworking techniques and skills.
Aside from her job, Josie maintains a studio in the basement of her home, where she produces beautiful objects, ranging from furniture to utensils, vases and cutting boards, just to name a few. From time to time, Josie will even produce a piece of furniture. Her partner, David Gordon, is an expert welder and close friend of ours as well (and happens to be who we have been making furniture with as a side project), and we are grateful that we have, in turn, developed a close friendship outside of business that has led to many good homecooked meals and bonfires together.
Recently, this month in fact, Josie just launched her own webstore, Josie Vogel Studio, with a variety of the one-of-a-kind items that she has produced for sale on the site.
For the last 3 years we have worked exclusively with Josie to curate a selction of cutting boards, salad tossers, cooking utensils, chopsticks, and ramen spoons that exemplify the convergence of art and utility. We look forward to working more with Josie this year to build out a product mix for our store that will serve as a launch point for much more to come!
Josie, thank you for your friendship and for sharing your talent!
You can follow Josie Vogel on Instagram here.
You can learn more about Sawtooth School for Visual Art or to sign up for one of Josie's woodworking courses here.
