This past week I have been excited to create this personalized engraved sword display for Mr Gow.  The display was made out of solid oak and was hand engraved, to Mr Gow’s specifications.

At the age of 20, Roland Gow was awarded this sword while in the Canadian Officers Training Corp.

He is now volunteering for the Cedar City, UT Police department.  We all appreciate what he does for our community.

Mr Gow decided that to display his sword would be far more rewarding than letting it stay hiding in its sheath.  Now, one can see this magnificent sword at first glance.

If you have something that you are proud of and would like to display it in a like manor, or have your own idea in creating the display, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your ideas.

To see more complete d projects click here.

Creating custom cedar chest heirlooms to be passed down to future generations and admired by all.

A cedar chest can be a great gift for many occasions such as weddings, Christmas, graduation, birthdays, or even anniversaries.  It’s been a long time tradition for an unmarried daughter to receive a cedar chest or hope chest to prepare for their wedding.   The cedar chest is to collect items such as clothing (especially a special dress), table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts and dishware, in preparation for their life with their significant other.

I say anniversaries as well, because there are many women who have never receive one for themselves for one reason or another.  The furniture look in and of itself is nice, but having the storage for memory keep sakes, movies, quilt or old photos is a benefit as well.

However, I have found that some men appreciate the value of a cedar chest also.  This particular cedar chest was custom built for a gentleman who wanted to store extra quilts in his cabin.  But more importantly to pass down through the generations.  On the back there is a personal letter engraved in his hand writing to his posterity.  Can you imagine generations later getting the cedar chest that has a letter to you from your ancestor?

This cedar chest is made out of tiger’s eye maple (which give’s it a ripple look), it is constructed entirely of solid hardwood except for the lid which is veneered mdf for stability.  The lid is edged with 2″ wide solid hardwood.  The interior is lined with maple except for the back and bottom which is Cedar wood.   It has a sliding drawer as seen in the pictures.  The lid has a soft closing mechanism to prevent slamming shut.

Cedar chests can be made in all kinds of sizes and wood species.  If you are looking into purchasing a cedar chest for someone special or yourself contact us for a free quote with the specifics of your project.

Here is a link to other specialty items we have done in the past for our clients, including a more simple cedar chest with a personalized name plate.  http://stevebartholomewstudio.com/blog/gallery/specialty-items/

MY LITTLE TOWN

In June 2008 I was approached by the Mayor of Fayette, Scott Bartholomew, to see what the possibilities were of doing a carving to hang in the new town hall.  We discussed many different possibilities to carve, He handed me some old photographs from the town’s archives.  We started taking pictures around town and this is what we came up with.  The original piece is 10′ wide by 4′ tall and hangs in the town hall in the City of Fayette, UT.  To view the full piece click on the picture to the right.

The story is as follows:

Oxen Exchange

In the spring of 1861 my great, great grandfather Joseph Bartholomew and James Mellor were asked by Brigham Young to move their families to the warm creek area of Sanpete co, later called Fayette.  Upon arrival, they found that the Indians claimed ownership of the spring, which was to be the life line of the valley.  They soon made peace with Chief Arropene and Joseph Bartholomew traded 2 fat oxen for the spring.  Later the meadows below the spring were bought for 2 calves.

Bartholomew Home

When the Bartholomew’s and Mellor’s first arrived at the spring, their homes were earthen dug outs with hardened dirt floors.  In 1870 Joseph Bartholomew started construction of his new home.  This home was made of red sandstone, quarried in the hills just southeast of town.  The walls of the home were 18” thick.  The original home has been remolded several times but is still standing.  My Father John P. Bartholomew and Kathleen Day Bartholomew are living in that 138 year old home today.

My great grand Father, John Bartholomew served as the ward Bishop from 1874 to 1914.  It was customary for the traveling Brethren of the church to stay with the Bishops along the way.  On one occasion, Wilford Woodruff, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was staying at the Bartholomew home.  He was in the upstairs bedroom for the evening when a rider from Salt Lake caught up with him to inform him of John Taylor’s death.  I have a hand written page from Wilford Woodruff’s journal explaining the anguish he felt as he felt the mantel of the Prophet fall up on him that night in Bishop Bartholomew’s home.

School House

The old school house, even though modern for the times, had no running water or bathroom facilities.  For a period of time, Philo T Farnsworth (the inventor of the Television) was living with my Grand Parents and teaching school in this old school house.   At the time Mr. Farnsworth was living with the family, my father was born in this old home.  Grandma and Grandpa were so impressed with Mr. Farnsworth that they named my dad, John Philo, after Mr. Farnsworth.

When the towns’ children began being transported to the neighboring town, Gunnison to attend school, the old school became a meeting house for the church.  This is where I attended church as a youth.

The old school bell would ring for special occasions.  It could be rung from a rope pulled inside the building.  On really special occasions the boys and girls from town would climb up the tree to get on top of the roof and ring the bell, especially, very early in the morning of the 4^th and 24^th of July, (waking up the whole town).  Even though the old school house has been torn down now, the old school bell has a new home sitting on top a monument in front of the new church.

When the footings were being dug for the new town hall, the footings of the old school house were found again.

The horizon of this carving depicts the actual mountain scene as it is today, the prominent rugged rock ledges of Mellor’s Canyon, to the north east, the Caterpillar Mountain Range directly east of town and the Molly’s Nipple peeking through the lower hills capping off the skyline to the south.

Around the parameter, bordering the carving, is a replica of each of the brands that have been registered to the residents of Fayette.

Geese

Today as you visit my little town of Fayette you will see the fields of corn and hay that are being watered by the warm spring.  Down below town is the Northern end of the Sevier River as it empties in the Yuba Reservoir, and if you watch you may see some cattle in the fields.  If you are really lucky you may even see some deer coming up into the fields to feed from the tamarack covered river bottoms.  The music that you will hear is not the hustle and bustle of a city life, but the honking of the resident geese.  There are quite a few geese that call Fayette home year round, but during the fall the skies and fields are full of the sights and sounds of the geese.  When asked where home is, I have to refer to my little town.

Soon after graduating from SUSC, Steve started his own cabinet shop where he has enjoyed working with his hands building custom, high end cabinets and furniture for the last 30 years.

By combining his passion for the great outdoors, with his superb ability to make people’s dreams come to life in wood – Steve now produces unique, one-of-a-kind original works of art in wood. Some of his recent projects include custom gun stocks, wooden stands for taxidermy mounts, wall murals and custom electrical plate covers.

“The good Lord has blessed me with the ability to take people’s ideas and develop them into works of art. Sometimes it’s a piece of furniture, maybe just a wall hanging, or even a full kitchen.”

“It is my dedication to building cabinets the old fashion way, with modern technology, that I have coined the phrase “Artist in Wood”.