Silver Flatware, Aviaries, Bamboo Fishing Rods

Peter Erickson, Silver Flatware (website)

Erickson Silver, Gardner, MA

Peter Erickson is the last remaining connection to over a century of sterling silver crafted in Gardner, Massachusetts. While earning a degree in economics at Clark University in the 1970s, Erickson spent his free time as an apprentice to his grandfather, a master of the trade. Not only did his grandfather impart over 60 years of experience and tradition, he awakened a love of the craft in the young Erickson.

Now, decades later, Erickson works out of his home studio, hand-hammering each piece of flatware, using a special forging anvil, and other tools, many of which are generations old. He never uses machinery. Each silver piece produced is labor-intensive and a functional work of art, making it a cherished heirloom. Even Erickson’s designs pay homage to the history of silversmithing, as the patterns are classics from the 1800 and 1900s.

From full place settings, to individual pieces to fashionable jewelry, Erickson’s work is elegant, durable and carries with it the legacy of his family’s rich past.

Shawn Weathers, Aviaries (website)

Brown Dog Wood Company, Charlotte, NC

Born and raised in the south, Shawn Weathers grew up with an acute appreciation of nature. He was drawn to gardening and wildlife, especially birds. As a songbird admirer, he faced a dilemma. How could he display exotic birds throughout his garden in a unique, elegant and distinguishing way? A former furniture designer, now making a living as a landscape designer, he drew on all his artistic and craftsmen skills to design and build custom aviaries. Today, he creates unique, classic custom architectural structures that are not only stunning homes for our fine feathered friends, but also fit in beautifully with the garden design. All Weathers’ aviaries are environmentally friendly, made from reclaimed materials that are treated for indoor or outdoor use, and are safe for the birds.

Read Shawn’s “Meet the Artisan” Blog

Tim Aaron, Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods (website)

Aaron Bamboo Rods, Portland, OR

Tim Aaron remembers his first fly fishing rod, the thrill of never wanting to put it down. He wants people to have that same feeling when they fish with one of his handmade bamboo rods. Tim is as passionate about putting his heart and soul into his custom creations as he is about fishing. Each precision-made rod is crafted, one at a time, to the high standards of the great rod makers of the past, and is as functional as it is beautiful—a favorite rod at the river, and a work of art destined to become a family heirloom. You’ll find Tim in his Portland, Oregon shop, shaping culms of bamboo into what will become fine rods—splitting, beveling, gluing, sanding, wrapping and varnishing, hour after hour—until the river calls.

Read Tim’s “Meet the Artisan” Blog