Artisan's Beauty in Uselessness

A Carpenter’s Faith, or Why وتمح is “Use-Lost”

When I bought my home 20 years ago, I fixated on the kitchen table. The owners suggested I buy a similar one, a "David Marsh". I'd seen his name carved on the table, one of several signatures—a unique appeal.

"It defied [the] current obsession with 'building one's brand.' In other words... 'No man is an island.'"

I contacted the store for advice on refinishing. The owner, Marsh, offered to pick up the table. Dumbfounded, I gained insight into his generous spirit and unique artwork. We spoke for 5 hours; he shared his journey, from protégé of Buckminster Fuller to his belief in a "useless" existence.

Marsh, a cultural anthropology graduate, has a keen intellect. He could have chosen any path, but he built a cottage industry to pass on to strangers, rendering himself "useless."

"Where [Marsh] uses the word 'useless,' I’m tempted to insert the made-up word 'use-lost.'"

For Marsh, "useless" is a two-step process: getting lost in being useful without owning, then passing it on. In his later years, he steps back, becoming "beautifully anonymous," joking his students are his "competitors."

Marsh's furniture reflects "mana," an elemental power. He hand-plans, creating furniture with his unique "mana." Using reclaimed wood, he influences culture, applying geometry to a complex world. He declines "going big," valuing the craft over marketing.

At 75, Marsh still works daily, speaking Spanish with his partner, Paco. He lifts his tables with one leg, a testament to his strength and craft.

"Faith comes out of awe... how then can you not have faith that something cool is happening all around us all the time... 'Thank God, whoever she is!'"

His work, a tactile dialogue, inspires faith in the beautifully anonymous and use-lost.

Terry Dawson