Archie Smith

I personally handcraft each of my one-of-a-kind instruments to be a unique melding of art and music. For my instruments, I select the most beautiful, highly figured woods and burls available – woods with “character” that “tell” you that they want to be instruments and sing. (Wood has a way of speaking to you.) I split then book-match the pieces to create a mirror image effect that is often quite striking as well as using inlays of various materials adds to the creation of unique, one-of-a-kind instruments. My mission is to create museum quality instruments in which the visual beauty of the wood, the haunting sound of the strings, and the subtle feel of the vibrating wood combine to offer multisensory stimulation. When the creative muses rebel against the constraining acoustical requirements of musical instruments, I give them free reign in artistic wall display pieces. As with the instruments, these creations are unique pieces made with the same care and craftsmanship and are created for the same reason as the instruments – to bring pleasure and joy to their owners and to all who hear, play and view them.