Fantasy Land

Kale Vogt
June 2, 2025

In two days I will be en route to Vermont to take a settee class with George Sawyer. This will be my second chairmaking class of the year outside of Lost Art Press and my first time working with George.

Yesterday I swapped vehicles with my dad in preparation for the trip north. Unfortunately, my nimble, gas-friendly hatchback isn’t big enough to haul a settee. So this morning I got a taste of what it’s like to drive an ’06 Toyota Tundra through the skinny streets of Covington. That alone has been character building.

Like Chris, I love a good road trip. I can’t explain why sitting for 14+ hours in a hurtling block of iron is good for my soul – but it always puts me in a good place. The road has a way of neatly filing all my thoughts in order of importance. Or fun. OK, mostly fun.

It’s when I hit hour two or three of driving that my fantasies take control of my frontal lobe and I become but a wee vessel operating a piece of 65-miles-per-hour heavy machinery. (I full-heartedly believe I am a better driver when in this state.)

In all realness, I think a dose of daydreaming is just the thing I need as I begin to feel the weight of my apprenticeship coming to a close. I can’t say I had any expectations of what this time would look like for me. As a self-preservation tactic I purposely haven’t paid much thought to the end of my apprenticeship.

A snippet from last month’s class with Jon Grant.

Though unexpectedly, I’m excited by all the change whirling around me. By the time I come back from Vermont, Katherine will have started her apprenticeship with Chris, bringing a new dynamic to the Lost Art Press team. I’m eager to watch Katherine’s growth and how she implements her creativity into the craft.

It’ll also be nice to share my insights and experience with someone like Katherine – a fellow creative who is like-minded, full of good humor and young. (No offense, Chris and Megan.)

Beyond that change, I’ve been focusing on several “smalls” projects at my bench in preparation for a new book in the works with Chris and Megan. These “smalls,” just like roadtrips, have been good for me creatively. It’s no secret that my fourth and final apprenticeship chair design/build is on the horizon.

“Taking a trip” mentally from ruminating over chairs with smaller projects has allowed me to gain perspective.

Learning under other instructors has been helpful for me as well. According to the contract, once my apprenticeship is over I’ll have the opportunity to become a “journey person” and learn furniture making under another willing maker of my choice. Being a student under Jon Grant last month, and now George Sawyer, I’ll have a taste of what that experience may look like.

Though I will always carry with me my first lessons in chair and furniture making.

To say the least, amidst all this change I have plenty of food for thought during my trip to Vermont. I’ll have ample time to mull over important questions like: Three or four legs for my final apprenticeship chair? What maker would be willing to take in a layperson like me? Or how long can I hold in 20 ounces of coffee in a truck with rusty suspension?