Prose of a wood artisan by Joel Inman
![“ I guess this madness took hold of me when I was 19 years old. I spent about a week isolated in my grandparents basement writing a piece of music that was of a technical level I have never experienced. Of the four movements I composed, there was one that I was [and still am] incapable of playing. It turned me completely crazy that I had this music in my head that I wasn’t able to accurately express. After that I was unable to write or play anything else. So, I set out on a quest to build the perfect instrument that would enable me to play this piece. My entire life for the past ten years has been dictated by the need to complete an 8 second passage of music. My three businesses, eighty hour work weeks, relocating to Southern California and back to the mountains, studying design and the human body...every move I make is a step towards perfecting a dozen difficult notes. Even climbing in the mountains is a product of this, I use it as a distraction. It is amazing to me that you can put a decade of work into a moment of sound...
...When i reflect on that i think i must be
the craziest person
i’ve ever met.”
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Landon Wiedenman's work is also highly influenced by his study as a musician. While studying classical guitar he found an appreciation for the craftsmanship in fine guitars, but it was writing his own music that brought him to an understanding that not all guitars are equal. He wanted to build a guitar fit to his own hands and his own artistic style. This would lead him to the seek out masters such as guitar maker Peter Barberio. Barberio is best known for repairing and restoring sound to guitars for members of Pearl Jam, Credence Clearwater Revival, and B.B. King. Wiedenman's techniques have been developed by adapting lessons from luthiers as diverse as Ren Ferguson and Boaz Elkayam. Guitar making requires the utmost understanding of the wood, the blending of form and function, and an aesthetic sense of design that goes beyond the look, feel, and sound of the guitar, all of these elements have been combined in his own work.
Further art study brought him to a great teacher and friend, the acclaimed custom knife maker Barry Gallagher. Under his direction Wiedenman practiced and developed the techniques of precise inlay and custom design. In Gallagher's Montana workshop he learned the value of quality and patience, never cutting corners nor sacrificing absolute quality for convenience.
In 2001 Wiedenman began to work under the Wiedenman Custom Inlay name. After spending several years in San Diego, Landon has returned to his source and continued the development of an exclusive line of fine furniture and art in Star Valley, Wyoming. His business and artistic philosophies continue to reflect his core principles of drawing on natural beauty and creating great art for his customers. This commitment to his patrons shows in his work. He enjoys getting to know his clients, and won't start a custom piece until he is well acquainted with their desires and expectations. Every design, every detail of his furniture is carefully choreographed and always personally symbolic.
An avid outdoorsman, Landon scours the physical world for his palette. His devotion to a philosophy of only natural materials requires that the colors, shades, and textures in every custom piece are naturally occurring. It's no accident that Wiedenman's artwork lasts. He uses no plastic or painted materials, and without stains to fade or paint to chip off, every custom inlay design will become a treasured heirloom, appreciated for generations. Only the finest aged, cured, and seasoned woods find their way into his workshop. Then he pairs woods with similar properties and designs to accommodate movement, so every piece fits and stays together as if grown into place.
When asked from where his artistic philosophy came about he responds by quoting John Knowles:
"In every man's life there is a before and an after." In my life the event that defined that point was a three month solo hike through the Montana wilderness. The extreme solitude gave me the clarity of mind to see exactly what it was that I lived for...beauty. More importantly I discovered my need to express that wealth and share it with others.
Many of his custom designs are inspired by the vast Montana wilderness of his youth. Rich contrasts, the juxtaposition of earth and sky, form a beauty he tries to parallel as a designer and maker of fine furniture.
Landon Wiedenman.
Copyright © 2005 [Wiedenman Custom]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 12/29/2006
Often, I start working, whether it’s inlay or music and then realize that the sun has risen on a new day. Weeks pass with no sleep. When it comes I’m afraid that if I put it down it may never come back... it’s exhausting. I am jealous of those that lead passionless lives. They are the ones that sleep at night.
Landon Wiedenman's work is also highly influenced by his study as a musician. While studying classical guitar he found an appreciation for the craftsmanship in fine guitars, but it was writing his own music that brought him to an understanding that not all guitars are equal. He wanted to build a guitar fit to his own hands and his own artistic style. This would lead him to the seek out masters such as guitar maker Peter Barberio. Barberio is best known for repairing and restoring sound to guitars for members of Pearl Jam, Credence Clearwater Revival, and B.B. King. Wiedenman's techniques have been developed by adapting lessons from luthiers as diverse as Ren Ferguson and Boaz Elkayam. Guitar making requires the utmost understanding of the wood, the blending of form and function, and an aesthetic sense of design that goes beyond the look, feel, and sound of the guitar, all of these elements have been combined in his own work.