Jeffry Mann
I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1955 but moved to Aspen with my family when I was in high school. I love the mountains and the town and left my mark on the community in many ways, partly in the things I built there. Some may be not what you expect, but are still there and used every day like the brick paved sidewalk at Wagner Park and the front doors of the Ute City Bank building.
Over the years I pursued many paths: carpentry, general contracting, architecture, furniture maker, artist, and gallery owner. Throughout it all my primary focus was my woodworking shop. As I create, design is my foremost thought. After all these years I believe I know what is obtainable in the shop and I think in terms of what is possible. Those conceptual skills can lead me in new directions or result in new twists to existing pieces. The evolution can be quick and unmistakable or slow and methodical. Typically I start with drawings and cardboard models. By the time the models are completed, I usually know what the material will be for the various surfaces. And while I try to stick to my original concept during construction of each initial piece, often modifications will come later. It is an interesting process in which I think I am just a passenger.