DACMan

Q: How did the David Alan Collection come into existence?
A: The David Alan Collection (DAC for short), is a blend and culmination of much of what I’ve learned and loved in life, from my undergrad degree in studio art and art history to the restoration of a Victorian house on the Hudson River. If you add my love for travel in the East (over 30 trips to India and Asia), a passion for third world art and craft and my businesses on Cedros Ave., the foundation for DAC begins to emerge. The name, by the way, comes from my first and middle name, David Alan Bardwick.

Q: What businesses on Cedros were you involved in?
A: The first one, Creative Carpentry and Woodworking, I started in my garage in 1979, in University City where I designed and built furniture, learned more about wood, and structure, design, and integrity of furniture. I moved this business into “Cut & Dried Hardwood” (when I bought it at the end of 1985), in its old location at 143 S. Cedros. This is where I “cut my teeth” on retail. I was young, clueless and an artist. Excitement and passion helped make up for knowing next to nothing. I learned as I went along …… about wood, people, commerce and myself.
In 1993, my wife, Amita and I started “Trios Gallery” with two other couples, a business which we eventually owned ourselves. It was a great venture in community participation and group ownership, and it honed our skills in recognizing good artists and good work. Along the way came the short lived and painful retail store, “Lanai,” our Indonesian manufactured import shop on Cedros. I learned that I need to do my own buying, buy only what I love, and to cut my losses quickly when necessary…. among other things.

Q: So you have passed the “background check.” You still owned two other retail businesses?
A: In 2002 and 2003, Amita and I decided to clear the slate with the sale of Trios, Cut & Dried and our house and see what emerged. We even thought of taking a “year off.” I was clear that anything short of finding “something that I absolutely love to do, that would use ‘all of me’ and still demand my growth, creatively, intellectually and spiritually,” would be insufficient. Life is too short to settle for less.

Q: Voila! David Alan Collection (DAC) appears?
A: We all know it is never that clear or easy, except looking back in time. The “year off” was a passing fantasy that never was meant to be. It did make me ask: which of the American dreams is greater 1) to do for work, what you truly love or 2) to retire young and seek entertainment and the greatest comfort with the least responsibility?” Dream number two never really had a chance. I’m too driven to make things, to create, to build. As much as I want to be comfortable, its pursuit is my personal road to hell.

The seeds of the future DAC were planted years ago with a “someday I’ll ……” thought about starting a “by appointment only,” word-of-mouth collection in the corner of Cut & Dried Hardwood’s basement. This would perhaps satisfy my insatiable urge to treasure-hunt and share my booty with like-minded souls. It would be a fun, low risk, limited inventory avocation that required little time and attention. You know, all play and no work, and an excuse to do what I already love to do: Adventure Collecting.

It was a nice thought. Like all things in life, businesses have a life, will and mind of their own. They evolve. They require faith. They demand trust and courage. Perhaps most of all, they require that we listen to what they want to become and give them what’s needed for their growth and development. At its best, a business is a co-creation of whole community: a vision, actualization and evolution of an organism that is sensitive, responsive, responsible, alive, vulnerable, resilient and true. Thus David Alan Collection was born, embraced and encouraged, and is something like a wildebeast that runs full speed 20 minutes after birth. I have been listening to the whispers and growls of this beautiful beast ever since. It is full of energy, hungry to learn and grow, and insistent in its demand to bring as much beauty and soul to the Shores of America as possible, Pronto!

Beauty and soul are the twin lights that inform and guide me in my quest for pieces for the Collection. Once I’m drawn to a piece by its beauty or soul, then I look for the other essentials: balance, harmony, structural integrity, craftsmanship, good materials and condition. A piece may be lacking in any of these areas and still come home with me. Structural integrity can be repaired, gorgeous wood can to some degree override design flaws or average craftsmanship. If the materials aren’t the best but it’s stunningly beautiful, it comes home. Great soul or energy can override every other consideration.

Price and shipping are factors, but rarely the determining factors with the furniture, art and accessories that I buy. If I think it costs too much, I may ask for a break. I don’t bargain much with the good collectors. If we have a good relationship and like each other, the prices are already near their lowest level. I never insult them by saying that it costs too much. Rather I say “I can’t resell this piece at that price.” That way it is my problem and they can choose to be “generous” or not. I save haggling for the street vendors where it is expected. If it is the best piece of it’s kind that I have ever seen, oh well, what’s money for?

When I am buying, I try to do nothing but buy for days at a stretch. When I get into the “Zone,” chills and goose bumps come often and easily. When those signals occur then I know really to pay attention to that piece or that collection.

The most informative questions I ask are: Did the piece make me say “wow!?” or “I love that piece?” Did I get goose bumps or chills when I saw or touched the piece? Did it bring tears or stop me dead in my tracks? Did it just plain make me happy or inspire me? If I have any of these reactions, it invariably means the piece comes home. Good energy is king.

In the end, I choose what I chose because I love it – not because I think someone else will like it. If a piece inspires me, gives me joy or pleasure, creates a sense of wonder or awe and reminds me of what’s important in life, at that moment and for that moment, my quest is fulfilled.

Numerous criteria can be used to determine if a piece of furniture is great. In the context of this article “great” may not be synonymous with “museum quality,” rather great means a work of beauty and soul. These criteria could be separated into five including: the basics, the patina, the materials used, the history (interest), and the energy.

1) The basics include beauty, balance, harmony, color, structural integrity, craftsmanship, and condition. All of these attributes are important to determine if a piece is excellent. These are some of the physical attributes to consider along with the patina of a piece.

2) Patina is the physical evidence of the soul of a piece. It says something of its history, its age, if it’s had a hard or easy life; its personality. I find a “perfect,” old piece amazing, but wonder if it’s had a life. The patina gives mystery without telling its history.

3) The materials used can be incidental to the piece or the reason for the piece. I’ve purchased many pieces simply because the wood or stone were over-the-top beautiful. Almost anything can be forgiven if exquisite material is well used. I’ve designed pieces solely to present the beauty of a piece of wood. On the other hand, if the other basics are strong, then the materials matter very little.

4) Each piece, old or new, has a history. Knowing something of the history, its age, place of origin, use, maker, why it was made, for whom, and where purchased, adds to the value and interest of the piece. By “interest,” I also mean “Does it hold one’s interest?” Does it reveal itself bit-by-bit and allow for discovery? Is it subtly unsymmetrical or have aspects that are revealed as one inspects the piece? For instance, carvings that tell a story, a hidden compartment, or initials carved in the back of the door? Does it have an implied history, such as “If this piece could talk, what stories would it tell?” It is a history we will never know. Does it hold one’s affection, or is it merely like a kitchen cabinet or an Ikea side table?

5) Energy is the factor few talk about. One can at times recognize energy in a person “across a crowded room.” Energy can be recognized in an object as well. The energy of the piece can be imbued by the artist or can come from where or with whom it lived or how it was used. I have seen countless pieces from The Collection find homes simply because they feel good to their buyer. Many of our favorites in The Collection are pieces we simply want to be around. These are not necessarily the ones with the most beauty, the best craftsmanship, the finest design, or the most compelling history, but are simply the ones with the best energy. A piece with good craftsmanship and bad energy is not acceptable.  Harmony and good energy are valuable things in one’s environment. This is not mysterious. It’s just instinct and intuition.

In the final analysis, an ideal great piece exhibits all five criteria. In reality, it is neither likely nor necessary for a piece to have all those qualities to be great.

Getting creative — Old pieces, New uses

Stone Water Jar as Fountain

One of the most fun and creative parts of finding old, beautifully weathered, textured architectural and village pieces, is discovering new uses for them. 9′ or 10′ teak plow handles become handrails, legs for tables or wall art. Teak rice mortars become pedestals for wood dining tables, coffee tables, or plant stands or bases for glass top end tables, drink tables and outdoor tables. Carved beams become fireplace mantles or decorative doorway pieces. Doors become wine cellar doors, garden gates, closet doors, headboards, tabletops or wall art. Small animal troughs become table top fruit containers, sculpture stands, plant holders, or candle bases. The possibilities are endless. We’ve made stone grinding discs, water storage jars, mortars, watering troughs, and animal feeding bowls into fountains and yard sculpture. There are wonderful old house elements that become the ultimate sculpture stands. Browse through the collection and let your imagination run wild. It’s fun and you’ll be surprised at the wonders you’ll create.

It is the joy, beauty, and innocence transmitted through the simple works of folk art that drew me to collecting it from villages all over Asia and the Pacific for many years. It is the art of the people, of hearth and home, and is fashioned from the hands, heart and soul of the maker.

I am compelled to share my love and admiration for folk art’s pure and utterly delightful forms. The makers of folk art are usually villagers, untrained, with something to express, consciously or not. They are usually “playing” with an everyday household object, a tool, instrument, toy, piece of furniture, utensil, or offering – always making that piece more beautiful, interesting, or meaningful. These pieces are made and imbued with love, joy, and often a sense of humor and play. They’re an outward expression of an inner life. In the unselfconsciousness and purity of good folk art, a window into the heart and soul of another human being is opened. Folk art expresses emotions and dreams without the affectation of intellect. It is, in fact, probably the least pretentious, most honest art form that exists, perhaps because it wasn’t made to be art. Purity, like truth, wipes the slate clean for something new to happen, something real.

I am inspired when I look at these works and experience renewal and joy. These are expressions of real people. They are objects that are not trying to be something; they simply are.

“All who roam are not lost.”

- Unknown

“If stupidity got us into this mess, why can’t it get us out?”

- Will Rogers

“It is not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.”

- Spanish Proverb

“Always do right. This will surprise some people and astonish the rest.”

- Mark Twain

“If you wish to drown, do not torture yourself with shallow water.”

- Werner Erhard

“When you see a job to do, ask yourself these questions:
If not by me — by whom? If not now — when?”

- Arthur Lageux

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right”

- Henry Ford

I was awakened one morning at 6:00am by shouts from the rice fields in front of my house in Bali. When these strange, war-like cries continued, I knew I’d never get back to sleep. From the terrace I could see farmers walking through their fields, occasionally letting out a stylized cry that could be heard a mile away. I thought, “God, I hope this is some sort of ceremony for today only.” My precious peace was being disturbed. I watched, cup of tea in hand, until I saw the reason for making this racket: birds. The rice is starting to turn from green to gold, and the birds were having breakfast. The rice farmers’ banners of brightly color cloth and tin foil blowing in the breeze were not doing the job. Only a living, shouting scarecrow could save the crop.

Half an hour later, a group of four or five boys, aged seven to nine, were walking along the raised footpaths through the rice fields, playing follow-the-leader. One minute they were hopping on one foot, the next they were all singing. It was one of the sweetest, most natural and joyful sounds I have ever heard. As they were marching past the rice farmer, each boy was practicing his bird chasing whoops and laughing. Having completed their rice field tour, they walked single file up the path along the side of my villa with only their bobbing heads showing, once again singing their indescribably sweet songs.

While the farmers were still in their fields shouting at the birds my mind had been at war. I wanted to practice my war-whoops too, just like the kids, but being the quiet, mild-mannered soul I am, I rarely raise my voice. Just the thought of shouting at the birds in a Balinese rice field made me turn red with embarrassment. The tide of the internal battle turned, and I let out my first battle-croak. Embarrassed but undaunted, I tried again and again, until I was hoarse and laughing. I listened for the farmers’ reaction, and heard only silence, perhaps shocked silence. Maybe they were all laughing. I only knew I had won my battle.

I am still slightly embarrassed as I write this, embarrassed, but laughing, still. My wife wonders if it could really be true that I shouted at the birds from the terrace. But I know I was out there with the best of them on that fine Balinese morning, whooping at the birds.