A style that really didn’t interest me was Greene and Greene.  That was until I read the article “True Greene & Greene” by Gary Rogowski, in Fine Woodworking #203.  This article opened my eyes to Greene and Greene.  Seeing what Greene and Greene was really supposed to look like, changed my view of Greene and Greene.  I had seen what was being called “Greene and Greene”, but in reality I was seeing watered down, blurry “photocopies” of Greene and Greene.  Which is another reason a study of a style is always needed.  Just seeing a piece that someone calls a certain style, doesn’t mean you are seeing a true representation of that style.

Gary’s article lead me to several important resources, a couple of which are:  The Greene & Greene Virtual Archives and Darrell Peart.  The Virtual Archives is an absolutely amazing collection of Greene and Greene photos, drawings and other documents.  I have spent a few hours just skimming through some of the information.  A more detailed search and exploration of the archive is needed.

Along with Gary’s Greene and Greene work, Darrell Peart is another craftsman that builds in the Greene and Greene style.  Darrell has written a fantastic book on Greene and Greene design elements and how to incorporate them into your design, “Greene & Greene: Design Elements for the Workshop”.  An interesting coincidence, Darrell lives in the Seattle area not too far from me.  I’ve contacted Darrell through email, and he is a very pleasant person.  He welcomes visitors to his shop, and I hope to arrange a visit soon.

Darrell also teaches classes.  I’m currently signed up for 2 of his classes over at The Port Townsend School of Woodworking.  I’m signed up the Greene and Greene Details II in August and the Greene and Greene Details I in December.  The August class is far enough out there, I don’t know I can wait for the December class ☺.

So the point to all this Greene and Greene talk.  For me to develop my own design sense and skills, I feel I need to explore different styles of furniture in more detail.  I plan to start with Greene and Greene, but not limit myself.  That means exploring a wide range of resources and opinions on a topic.  Then reproduce or “imitate” that style.  I want to truly understand a given style and its elements.  From there I feel I can build on my own design sense.  They say there really isn’t anything new, just new arrangements of what has already been done.