The Artisan Connection features fine arts and hand crafted items created by local, regional, and nationally acclaimed artists. On the first Thursday of each month, The Artisan Connection holds an opening reception to highlight the abilities of the month’s featured artists. This month’s reception will be held on March 2 from 5-8 p.m. and feature artists who specialize in wood. As a woodworker, John Crouse’s education includes an industrial arts degree from SUNY Oswego and graduate credits in woodworking and furniture design from RIT. He has taught woodworking and industrial arts at the junior and senior high school levels in Rochester, New York, and worked for the company responsible for creating cases for Seth Thomas and Hamilton Clocks. As an artist, Crouse produces custom cabinetry, handmade furniture, and lathe turned bowls with accessories to match. Crouse has exhibited his work in many crafts shows in the Northeastern United States, the most famous of these being the 100 American Craftsmen exhibition in Lockport, New York, and the Ohio Designer Craftsmen fairs. Crouse first became interested in woodworking in the 1950’s when he purchased his own table saw at the age of 13. He appreciated the qualities of wood as a medium, and had a great understanding of the tools necessary for producing and finishing woodwork. Crouse works primarily with lignum vitae to produce his signature bowls. The qualities of lignum vitae are interesting, as the wood is too dense to float in water, but produces lubricating oils that ensure the wood will never dry out. Brian Galas has been carving and sculpting wood for the past 25 years. As a woodcarver he enjoys taking risks in his workmanship; which in his own words means “removing chip by chip from a mass of wood” until the concept for his project is “realized as tangible form.” While aesthetically pleasing, Galas’ work is also very tactile, as each piece concentrates on texture, shape, and enhanced color of the wood. Galas creates unique kitchen utensils that are very durable and come in a variety of specialized forms. Galas prefers to sand and oil each piece by hand, in the likeness of carvers from simpler times. He uses mostly native hardwoods and natural finishes to make his utensils, and favors utilizing drying oils rather than stains. In his own words, Galas’ basic philosophy behind each piece is to “carve until it looks right; sand, oil, and buff until it feels right.” The Artisan Connection is located at 135 East Beaver Avenue in State College. Upcoming featured artists include the Farmland Preservation Artists for the month of April, and Corene Johnston and Mark Messenger for the month of May.