GRANT TAYLOR
MAN OF MANY TALENTS
By Gretchen Abendschein
Like the intertwined patterns that appear in Celtic design, Grant Taylor weaves the roots of his Scots-Irish lineage into his music and exquisite handcrafted furniture.
Grant works in a stone studio on Tucker Road in South Acworth making Celtic-style furniture. Many of his chairs, bed frames, tables and night stands are embellished with Celtic knotwork designs which Grant intricately carves into the surface of the wood.
Grant has been interested in working with wood since he was a child. When he was 16 he apprenticed with Art Ritchie, a master woodworker in Keene, NH.
Grant Taylor in his studio
Click to enlarge
Grant also makes custom insulated doors using high quality native woods. Grant constructed double oak doors for the entrance of the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The Guthrie Center was formerly Alice's Church, made famous by Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 recording Alice’s Restaurant.
Celtic music is also entwined in the key pattern of Grant’s many talents. He is an accomplished player of traditional Irish dance music on wooden flute and whistle. Grant plays music for contra dances and frequently performs at the Coffeehouses and Village Store Music Festivals in Acworth.
A world-class maker of crepes, Grant often has a booth at local festivals where he sells his appetizing homemade crepes.
Art had a shop in the Colony Mill building (now the mall) in Keene where he made hand-carved wooden signs with gilded letters, custom carved furniture and plaques. For two weeks Grant did nothing but sharpen tools. Following this test of Grant’s dedication to the trade, Art began showing him how to carve bas-relief patterns in wood.
As a young man in the late 1970s Grant traveled to the land of his ancestors where he worked with master furniture-maker Al O'Dea in Connemara, Ireland, learning to make traditional Celtic furniture.
Before traveling to Ireland Grant had been making furniture and creating other works in wood. "I made lots and lots of dulcimers," said Grant.
To further his education Grant studied Celtic design, including how to create knotwork, spirals, and key patterns, at the Celtic College in Goderich, Ontario. He studied Celtic design with Canadian artist David Rankine as well.
Slideshow of Grant Taylor
Grant travels to Gaelic arts and culture festivals throughout New England and Canada to sell his work and pass his craft on to others. After teaching Celtic carving workshops in the morning he’ll often have a chance to jam with Gaelic music heavyweights in the afternoon, such as Markus Hernon and June McCormack.
Grant has studied Québécois music too. He is astonishingly able to play an upbeat French-Canadian tune on the wooden flute while sitting and clogging in typical Québécois fashion.
In the summer Grant can be seen in South Acworth on his roller-skis. He is an avid skier and is the Nordic cross-country ski coach this year in the Newport Middle/High School.
Grant hosts a carving club that meets every Monday night at 7:00 in his stone studio on Tucker Road. He instructs members of the carving club in a wide array of individualized woodcarving projects. The carving club is free and open to the public.
A gifted teacher with a generous nature, Grant freely shares knowledge of his craft with others. He has taught not only woodworking but also Celtic design classes, free of charge, in his studio.
Grant is a founding member of the Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers and a state-juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. His furniture earned the prestigious award, Best in Traditional Design, from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. His work has been featured in various publications throughout the region, including New Hampshire Magazine.
To visit Grant’s website click here.
