The art of second chances

“He never wasted anything,” the tour guide pointed out repeatedly as she gestured toward one beautiful object after another. We were standing in the studio of the Dean of American Craftsmen, Wharton Esherick, listening intently as we marveled at the fine work of this early 20th century painter and sculptor.

A small collection of exquisite stools, varied in form and size, were examples of Esherick’s habit of recycling scrap wood into functional and aesthetically pleasing items. Esherick scorned wasted space as well, placing his bed atop a series of finely executed drawers. Even the empty space normally created under conventional tables, desks and dressers was eliminated in his designs and utilized creatively. Pieces were crafted to allow storage right to the floor, conveniently eliminating the need for dusting underneath.

In a fitting celebration of my own father’s largely unsung genius at “not wasting things,” we journeyed on Father’s Day to Paoli, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, to experience the wonderful world of Wharton Esherick. Dad is an inveterate recycler, a guy who prefers giving things a second chance, like the fallen tree limb he found soaking in the river, now a railing, and the empty wine bottles soldered into his stained glass panels. Come to think of it, my Mom, whose birthday we were also celebrating, is a crafty recycler herself. Quilts become insulated curtains, egg cartons double as seedling starters and fabric scraps become herb-packed pillows. Together, my parents practice the art of transforming the discarded into something kind, useful or fine.

This trait is only one interesting facet of Esherick’s work. His world- famous spiral oak staircase and other pieces have been featured at three world fairs and exhibited by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian Institute, and the Museum of Contemporary Crafts. His studio is an inventive marvel, built with a studied avoidance of straight lines, like most of his furniture and sculpture. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. Tours may be scheduled by calling the Wharton Esherick Museum at 610/644-5822.

In today’s throwaway society, where things without an immediate purpose get tossed in the trash, a second look at something just might bring a second chance. And so my parents turn leftover yarns into snappy scarves and silly socks. Layers of yard trimmings, leaf rakings and kitchen scraps comprise a “lasagna” garden. Glass blobs and ceramic baubles become mosaics on a shower wall. Their pet goose, Lucy, is herself a second-chancer. Rescued from a roadside one night, Lucy made herself at home in their yard, becoming enamored of her own reflection in a hubcap. When she took to defending her find, a remedy came in the form of an old mirror my parents saved for such possibilities. One needn’t be an artist to practice the fine art of second chances.

Esherick sought for many years to be recognized as a painter. Only after abandoning this art form in middle age for woodworking did he realize his artistic objectives. What if Esherick had concluded that his early creative work had been in vain? Imagine that he had never taken this second chance. What a waste that would have been.