Featured Artist: Brian Schafer Creative & Innovative… by nature
Photo courtesy Heidi Long
By April Thomas Whitney
Nature and art have always enjoyed a close relationship. Nature can be the subject of a work of art, or what inspires the artist to create in the first place. Nowhere is this more evident than in a remote perch above the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Here, nature provided the motivation, inspiration, and even the raw materials for a work of art that few people will ever lay eyes on... a Glass Forest. This stunning installation had a humble beginning built on the curiosity of 63-year-old master craftsman Brian Schafer. “Even at an early age I took notice of architecture,” says Schafer. “When I saw something in the shape or style of a building that obviously took extra effort, it sparked my curiosity.” Starting in the 1980’s with a log exporting business based in Lewiston, Idaho, Schafer found the spark that would ignite his imagination. His insatiable curiosity about log and timber frame construction led him to explore every aspect of the design and building business. He studied under carpenters, builders, and architects in the Mountain West, and traveled frequently overseas to study under an expert craftsman in Japan. Continued page 78
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