February's Book
- Owen Madden
- 5 minutes ago
- 1 min read
To honor Black History Month, we are reading Freeman Vines' book, “Hanging Tree Guitars”. This may be a departure from the classical woodworking text, but I am truly grateful that I found this book. Vines, though facing extreme prejudice, existed in a state of exploration and creativity. The influence of a singular tone from a guitar sent him on a lifelong journey of crafting and shaping instruments carved from unique materials including the trees used to ritually murder and terrify people like him. Through his work, Vines releases the true spirit of the trees and the energy stored inside them, showcasing the beauty and honoring the soul propagated within.
While reading this book, I couldn’t help but stare at length at the beautiful photography work of Timothy Duffy. Duffy has a way of conveying so much tension and drama in a still image that it seems like the guitars are playing a song from the page.
With Zoe Van Buren as narrator of the story, this book ties together Vines' life and work beautifully with Duffy's, making it one of my favorite reads thus far. I highly recommend everyone read this; it will have you searching for purpose in your work, which will inspire a depth of creativity you may have never reached prior.
The meeting for “Hanging Tree Guitars” will take place on Sunday, March 1st. at 7:30 PM EST. on the Discord. I hope to see you there.
_Owen
Meeting Link: https://discord.gg/TqetHH4A?event=1470126992790782054