My name is Drew Hendrick and I was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. I always had a propensity for building things. When I was younger, I was the only kid in the neighborhood that had a seven story tree house. It simply started as a fort and I just kept adding floors until I hit the top of the tree. My background lies in carpentry and later the commercial construction field. I started woodworking as a hobby when I purchased my first Miter Saw and Router as well as a hand full of other tools. I would build things like cutting boards, hot pads as well as other trinkets I thought we needed. I would later construct pieces of furniture and place those in all over the place whether they fit or not. I would visit local lumber yards and specialty woodworking stores to see what other types of trouble I could get into. Any passionate woodworker would agree to that.
My fascination with rare and exotic wood started around 1997 with a visit to a local lumber company In Atlanta. The discovery of a wood whose natural state is a deep red really kicked my passion into high gear. I soon discovered several species and different types when I was directed to a shop called Carltons Rare Woods. There with the help of Carlton and Richard, my eyes were opened. The selection and the depth that I was awaken to were and still are beyond words.
The discovery of what nature is capable of producing, especially in its natural state really gripped me. It was around this time I started to experiment with putting inlays into the furniture I was constructing. At first these inlays were tiny boarder pinstripes, and then later with geometric shapes. Intertwining different shapes with different colored woods was just the beginning.
When I initiate a project, I try to express the woods true color, intricate figure and inviting luster in such a way a way that allows the viewer to experience natures brilliance. There are no dyes, no stains or any form of color manipulation of any kind. What can be described as spiritually driven works, these hand made literally one of a kind pieces have evolved into creations of art. The pieces in the photo libraries within this website show the woods of the world in there natural state. The wall hangings have a clear coat of lacquer and the boxes have a coat of Danish wood oil. My hope is to share with you what I began to experience in 1997.
As it stands now, I have a collection of 235 different woods from all over the world. This is stock lumber and varies in size and shape. Some woods are very rare and some have literally been pick out of the firewood pile. In fact once I sat in the trunk of the car while holding onto a 275 pound piece of Weeping Cherry Burl that someone had thrown away. I strapped it to a hand truck and held on tight as we drove home. As you can imagine I got some weird looks from other drivers, especially from the person that was behind us, all I could do was smile at her.
Just about every thing that I have created were commissioned pieces and some were created for fun. Some requests have had significant direction like Company logos for a business function, and for others pieces the request was free reign of expression. I am willing to give just about anything a try. There is a contact me page and if you would like to get in touch with me about purchasing or commissioning a piece custom to you, please send me an Email at Drew@ajhwoodworks.com