Welcome to this edition of Creative Woodworks & Crafts! There's an inspiring story on page 62, entitled "Lighting The Way: An Intarsia Experience." In it, Dirk and Karen Boelman tell how they accepted a commission for the Wisconsin Lions' recently-constructed health lodge. Amazingly, this was their first intarsia project! Measuring four feet by five feet, it weighs about one hundred pounds and includes over two hundred fifty pieces. The reason they chose intarsia as their medium was this—the health lodge assists over fifteen hundred kids a year who have various physical challenges, many of whom are visually impaired. Intarsia, being a very three dimensional art form, allows these children to "visualize" the project through their sense of touch. One lesson which jumps out at me from Dirk and Karen's experience is the power of persistence—it was one thing to take on this assignment, but the process of actually bringing it to life, especially as their first attempt in this medium, was not for the faint of heart! You'll simply have to read the story to get all the fascinating details!

We've also got a few projects in this issue which benefit greatly from the application of a little color—Sheila Landry's Sparrow and Blue Jay, and Billie Holm's Rainbow Trout. It's really eye opening to see how, in all three cases, the tasteful application of paint brings the projects to life. Many scrollers have shied away from painting, assuming that it's too involved, too difficult, or too time consuming. What Sheila, Billie, and others have demonstrated is that it doesn't have to be that way—a little color can go a long way, especially when applied sparingly to the right projects. In fact, in our last issue, Sheila presented an article about this very subject, and she received some encouraging feedback from readers who had steered clear of painting in the past, but now realized that it was within their reach to enhance their scrolling projects with the tasteful application of color.

Our Readers' Gallery continues to inspire us—I am awed by you, our audience—your skill, imagination, and tenacity in bringing your woodworking projects to life. Please keep those photos coming—we do love hearing from you.

We hope, as always, that you will enjoy this issue and be able to use some of the patterns, ideas, and inspiration contained within it. Until the next time, wishing you all peace, prosperity, and happy woodworking!

Sincerely,

Robert Becker