Stevelele
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2009
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I had the privilege of visiting Mike Dasilva's shop in Berkeley, CA this past week. I've seen pictures before, but wasn't sure what to expect. Mike was super busy, preparing for the Reno uke show, so he only had a few minutes, and I wanted to be very respectful of his time, so I only stayed for about 10 minutes--just long enough to choose some wood that he will use for a custom. Here's a short documentary that I've seen before, in case you are interested: http://www.levinvideo.com/madebyhand/
Mike's shop is kind of crazy, but in a good way. It's in a cavernous workshop space that is adjacent to several other artist spaces. He had a big boat/canoe suspended in the air, hung by wires, and some puppets hanging on the door. And you could see broken ukes in one section--repairs that Mike is planning to make. Some were so messed up that I can't believe that Mike would even take on those projects. Personally, I think that he's such a great artist that his time is better spent making originals rather than repairing ukes.
Mike's wood stash is extremely unusual. He showed me some pieces of koa that looked like nothing I had ever seen. One set had curls with loops that looked like the links of a chain. Some really wild and crazy patterns that you wouldn't really be able to appreciate unless you went to his workshop and took a look.
Someone else was working in the shop at the same time--probably a friend or student--didn't seem like an employee--looked like someone who was fixing his own uke. That guy seemed incredibly happy just to be there.
Anyhow, I didn't take any photos, because I didn't want to bother Mike or waste his time. Afterall, he was working and time is probably his most valuable commodity. But I still wanted to give you at least a taste of what it was like. Overall, I felt like a kid visiting Jim Henson's studio. I could've stayed there for hours, checking out the wood, his partially done projects and all of the other curiosities in the shop.
Mike's shop is kind of crazy, but in a good way. It's in a cavernous workshop space that is adjacent to several other artist spaces. He had a big boat/canoe suspended in the air, hung by wires, and some puppets hanging on the door. And you could see broken ukes in one section--repairs that Mike is planning to make. Some were so messed up that I can't believe that Mike would even take on those projects. Personally, I think that he's such a great artist that his time is better spent making originals rather than repairing ukes.
Mike's wood stash is extremely unusual. He showed me some pieces of koa that looked like nothing I had ever seen. One set had curls with loops that looked like the links of a chain. Some really wild and crazy patterns that you wouldn't really be able to appreciate unless you went to his workshop and took a look.
Someone else was working in the shop at the same time--probably a friend or student--didn't seem like an employee--looked like someone who was fixing his own uke. That guy seemed incredibly happy just to be there.
Anyhow, I didn't take any photos, because I didn't want to bother Mike or waste his time. Afterall, he was working and time is probably his most valuable commodity. But I still wanted to give you at least a taste of what it was like. Overall, I felt like a kid visiting Jim Henson's studio. I could've stayed there for hours, checking out the wood, his partially done projects and all of the other curiosities in the shop.
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