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Meet the Artist: Raven Tekwe

Woodworking to a different beat

As anybody who has been involved in woodworking for a period of time can tell you, part of what makes it so enjoyable is that it has so many forms. Turning, carving, and furniture making are some that come automatically to mind. Raven Tekwe's particular form of woodworking my not sound as familiar, but it makes a grand noise. Raven makes drums.

According to Raven, "I had an incredible experience playing a large drum. Shortly afterwards, I knew I wanted to play drums and wanted to make them." It was a matter of love and hard work that took her to that next step. "When I started, I didn't know the first thing about woodworking. I just knew I wanted to make drums."

Fortunately, Raven has a can-do attitude to go with her enthusiasm. "I figure you can do anything if your desire is truly there." She started out by first making frame drums, which are hand held and played with a beater. But as her own interest and skill as a percussionist grew, she started graduating to a variety of other drum projects.

"I started playing congas and djembe-style (pronounced gem-bay) drum and really wanted to make that type of drum."

In the meantime, Raven found she started to love working with wood and tried to absorb every piece of woodworking information she could find. "I've had friends and acquaintances help me along the way with some specifics, but I'm really self-taught." In addition to the trial-and-error approach, Raven turned to books and magazines for help and inspiration. "I devoured Krenov's books, delighted that he talked about the 'why' we work with wood instead of just the 'how'." The reward has been that not only have her drums improved along the way, it has also taken her into other forms of woodworking -- most notably, furniture making.

While Raven is a professional woodworker and, over the course of eleven years, has had drum making as her main source of income, it has come at a price. "Drum making has been very hard on my body. Tightening drums is difficult and has taken its toll on my hands and back. I would like to teach several more women how to make drums (I've already taught two) so the art is not lost." Her plan, however, is to phase out of drum making over the course of the next two to three years and concentrate on designing and making furniture. "Of course, the funny thing about plans is that you never know what's really going to happen. Had you told me twelve years ago that I would become a drum maker, I would have thought you were crazy."

Though she may be moving away from drum making, she still has an interest in drums and has several interesting projects "on the burner." One is producing a limited-series signature drum for well-known drummer. Raven is also actively developing a drumming group called the "Womyn's Drum Project," as well as making a set of very large drums for women to play as a spiritual pursuit.

The business of woodworking also comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. "This type of work can be very isolating," Raven admits. "When I'm working by myself in the shop, I an go all day without talking to another soul. I've discovered that the dog (her Labrador Retriever, Booda) doesn't talk back. And when he does, I guess I'll be really worried."

Conversely, there is the busy season, when she has employees around, and she wishes she could have more "alone" time. Raven admits that it's a constant struggle to balance social time with the need for time to herself. She also says that she needs to fight an occasional bout of self-doubt. "It's only been in the past few years that I've been able to accept that I'm good at what I do."

Other challenges include the one frequently cited by women woodworkers: Being a woman in a predominantly male world. Says Raven, "I want to spit nails (no pun intended) when the clerk in the hardware store or lumber yard assumes I have no idea what I'm talking about. I can't count the number of times I've been ignored, condescended to, or blatantly disrespected." She also adds that it's difficult to work with tools that are designed for much larger hands and bodies.

Of course, that's never stopped this determined woodworker. Raven feels that "doing what you love" is the key. If you have the passion, "you can anything you set your mind to, including being a full-time woodworker."

Drum roll, please.

Photographs courtesy of Raven Tekwe
Text by Jean Johnson