-Hi, I'm -Eric Ford for Made Here.

-Herb Di Gioia and David -Hancock were key figures -of the observational cinema -movement in the early 1970s.

-!They created a series of films -called Vermont People, -which documented -life in rural Vermont, -exploring aspects of working -class America.

-Peter Murray, -from 1975 profiles -a traditional furniture maker -in Charleston, Vermont.

-You can watch three films -!from the Vermont People series -and other great Made Here -!films streaming on our website -and through the PBS app.

-Enjoy the -film and thanks for watching.

-Thought we were gonna have a -thunderstorm last night.

-It was gonna clear up today.

-I don't think this thing had -much to do with anything -except it's the color the guy -wanted.

-It's really his color too.

-This fella I know.

I've known -him for about a year.

-He's kind of a friend of the -family.

-He's watched the chair for a -while.

-!He decided he had enough money -to get one.

-He's working down in -New Jersey and coming up to -!New Hampshire every weekend to -get away from the city.

-Finally did his job.

-Used to have a fantasy when I -was really young, young boy -about -!living in, living in a hole in -the ground, out in the -middle of this maple stand -!that I knew ain't.

Nobody know -where I was.

You know, -I could -go into town at night, steal -my food, go back.

-They all went, you know, like -!every, every boy does, I guess -when they get into puberty, -and they begin to wonder -about the world.

-And -!you know, the city really drew -me, -and you know, the pool room, -Penny Arcade, -rock and roll shows and that.

-!And I was really into all that -for a long time.

Man, I went -to California back, you know, -in days of the hate.

And -when I came back, I was, I -really was fed up with it.

-I had burned everything off -that I had to offer -or that I realized I couldn't -exist.

-!One thing I realized out there -in California was that I -!couldn't exist in that kind of -world where, -you know, some -somebody else was always your -boss, -and just went on - -And when I got back to -Connecticut, I began to go -!back to the woods that I lived -in when I was kid.

-I really felt, really felt -like I was home, -and I just wanted to do -something.

You know, -it all started with simple -thing like get getting wood -for -getting wood for your fire, -and when you're alone in the -woods, hearing nothing, not -much else to do.

-I've been, you know, I was -!vegetarian then and wasn't the -!question of hunting my meat or -anything, -and -there wasn't much -else to do, and I really just -fell in love with the trees -and pieces of wood I'd see on -the ground, and realized that -that was -more beautiful than any -sculpture I'd ever seen, and -it wasn't much room for -improvement, -that nature herself was -the artist -and -the first few carvings I did -just sitting in oil, in the -rod, off wood and stuff, just -to see who was underneath all -the wormholes and all the -stuff that had gone through -dry rot.

-!They were they were small, and -!they didn't they didn't change -much, I wouldn't allow myself -to put any image into it, -because, -you know, she was, she was my -teacher, and it was really -presumptuous of me -to begin to say, you're this -or you're that, -and -always -well, they meant a whole lot -more to me, and they said a -!whole lot more to me than they -said to anybody else.

-I still could never bring -!myself to make an image out of -piece of wood, to get into -sculpture or anything.

-And -there had, I had to recognize -some way to give her -to the world, which I -recognized a need for it -there had to be some exchange -with -with man's world in order to -!support myself and in order to -me to further my work.

-I think I told you guys once -before that a lot of times -when I'm working with wood or -!working with this chair, and I -begin to -say, you know, I'm getting -tired of making rocking -!chairs.

Want to run off to the -woods or something.

-It come - I got to bring my -head all the way down to the -action of the knife blade on -the wood and realize that no -!matter where I was if I was out -in the woods or -where that I'd be doing the -same thing, you know, I'd be -cutting wood.

So it doesn't -really matter, you know, what -!I really do is make these wood -chips.

And this just happens -to be what comes out, and -that's the way I really think -of it, because it's the only -!way that enables me to keep on -doing this particular thing.

-!And a lot of times you have to -!get that microcosmic, I guess, -in a way, I kind of worship -the knife is pretty much a -religion for me.

And -one time I really had to make -a choice.

It was I was an -artist, you know, or a -painter, and -!there was my pen and there was -my knife, and it was, you -know, the old question about -how you're gonna -say what you have to say, -and I gravitated toward the -knife -because it's what I've always -been close with all my life.

-And -really, you know, questioned -myself saying, -is this as mighty a tool?

It -depends.

-And -I felt I could say more with -it than I could with the pen.

-The closer I am to my -material, the more rapport I -!have with it, and it's as much -what my material wants to say -is what I want to say.

You -know, it's just like a woman, -you know, can make her -be this and make her be that, -and -you don't benefit from a -relationship then, there's no -understanding, and you don't -get anything back.

It's a one -way trip, and -if you control your -!material with technology, with -planers and -table saws -and -belt sanders, -so your work suffers for it -and becomes just as cold as -to me, -as - may just as well make it -out of plastic, -because -for the -relationship you've had with -it, it's that cold.

It has no -light.

-!The more energy you put into a -piece, the -!closer you are with the piece, -the brighter its light it's -going to take on your light.

-!And it has a light of its own, -and it always will have.

And -whether people know they see -it or not, it's there, and -they they sense it.

-Some people can see it, -and people have seen it.

-But it doesn't happen with a -piece of machinery.

-I know it doesn't.

---- The m--f--.

-Uh, just before It comes into -that, that final fiddle back -thing -almost looks like weather -right in there.

-It's got a nice fleck here.

-It's got a nice flux -throughout the whole thing, -!especially in places where you -really notice it around in -here.

-!And that fleck will get deeper -as time goes on too.

I mean, -it light will travel further -into it, like it to happen -!right here, that gets a lot of -wear right in there.

-And -actually, most all -them sings really nicely -and pieces of wood that's -almost fiddled back right -there too.

-Got some nice wormholes -in it too.

---- did a really nice -job.

-You know they're doing the -same thing I'm doing, man, -!they're living off the piece of -wood.

-Might as well let them do it.

-They take- -!they take pieces of furniture, -stick them out in the middle -of field and riddle them with -buckshots to give them -!wormholes.

I dont see anything -wrong with using wormy wood.

-Worms will die as soon as the -piece is sealed up anyway, so -they may get a few more bites -out of it.

Not much, -I know approximately 90-95 -hours go into it, but the -!state of mind I'm in, when I'm -working on it, is a timeless- -it's a timeless effort, that -I'm not conscious of -I was only conscious of it -because I had to know.

I had -to be able to tell people how -!many hours I thought went into -one.

But it's, -it's the state of mind that -you're in when executing the -piece is an eternal state of -mind, and it- -beyond time and space, -that end product happens to -exist in time and space.

But -the whole relationship with -all the material and -everything that's considered -or everything that's used is -beyond that, so I'm not -conscious of -It happens to work out, which -is really, really nice, in -that, if you want to use -clocks and stuff, and that -30 degrees of the sun, one -!cycle one month, you know, one -cycle of the moon, -an hour of cosmic time -is -that's what it takes.

And no -matter if you start out and -you got, you know, good -running start on it, you're -going to take -every day you're going to be -working on it for 30 days, or -however it takes however long -it takes the sun to make that -transit.

It's it's worked out -so that it it'll take a full -month to do it, and -you only work on it when you -want to work on it.

-So -Took a little planning and -stuff.

But all this sawing -out, you know, tenons and -drilling mortises is just to -have piece of wood to play on -with my knife and just -discover with, you know, -what's inside of it.

-And -that's, you know, my primary -function is it just to play -!with the blade over a piece of -wood.

-Everything else that happens -is just, -I don't know just happens.

-I have to chuckle about it -sometimes, because I know -there's a lot of woodwork is -to take that, that s--- about -angles and -where everything is, and -they're so totally into -mathematics -and -figuring and if something -ain't just right, and if it -ain't just square, you know, -!then they scrap the piece.

And -that to me, long as it fits, -!man, I know it's gonna hold, I -mean, or put tight joints in -that chair.

And, you know, I -don't care if the back tilts -just a hair this way or -something, while it only mind -if it curls a little bit, -!is it still a damn comfortable -chair, and -all the designing is really -just, -is -of not that much import.

-The actual designing is done -with the edge on the wood.

-That's where the that's -where it's discovered, and -it's not discovered till I -begin to work with my edge.

-It's much more subtle, and -some something that's carved -or something that -has embellishment on it, or -design for form.

-All the discovery takes place -with the -action of the edge -on a given piece of wood -and what's underneath it, -what's in it.

-I had that knife man and I go -go around, see all them sharp -edges on tables.

You know, -this all the sharp edges on -chairs, everything.

I just -wanted to take it, take them -edges off, -!just run my knife across, like- -just round it, -because it just seemed too -!abrupt for a piece of wood.

At -!the time, I was always up in a -tree anyway.

-That ain't what Wood was to -me, man, it was - they were -!making it something even then, -that -I knew wasn't of its nature.

-!But to take, you know, to make -it some, I mean, you can't -!ordinarily, people don't go up -!to a chair and they don't hold -it like this, you know, or -feel this, you know, they'll -look at it and it's just that -sharp -thing, -!that much too abrupt, much too -severe.

-Statement.

Shot -That aint nature wood man, -it is much more sensuous -!than most people have made it.

-Ive - -I was living in the woods and -I'd have people come out and -visit me occasionally, it was -really great to be able to -turn them on to that silence -and that -to clout, and they'd feel -they'd have to talk to me.

-There's nothing to say.

You -really realize it when you're -!out there with, you know, just -nature around you, -and -you just stop talking.

And -then eventually, you know, -there was nothing for them to -say.

They'd feel a little -uneasy for a while, but -occasionally they began to -listen to that nothing, and -they'd really like it.

-I had occasion to go out back -!once with three, three fellas, -!one of them that I know from a -few years ago, -and the three of them are -foresters or Rangers or -whatever you call them, over -in the White Mountains here.

-And -we went out back, and I just -knew, you know -I didn't have to feel -!uncomfortable about not saying -anything, because I knew that -they understood.

And the four -!of us were out there together, -and we were really together.

-It was -!nothing to be said, and nobody -!felt they had to say anything.

-!And we just kind of sat around -on our hunches out there and -just felt each other.

-It was a really beautiful -experience.

-this is why I like the winter -up here, because any sound -almost really rubs your ears -wrong.

-It's really dead quiet.

-!You can't even hear cars go up -and down the driveway.

-This is a very quiet time of -year, too, just before, just -as the seasons begin to -change, -everything is still and - -I sincerely think that -the maple needs a stain -to show the wood off.

-I mean I see a lot of things -!when I'm working it, you know, -I know people don't see -when they look at the chair -and a way to present it, it's -much too subtle for them, -!because they, well, they don't -work with it every day.

So -!in order to for them to see it -at all, it needs, -needs -a vehicle, -like stain -bring it out.

-Actually, ain't bringing it -out.

You're bringing them in.

-Vermont Public -Partnering -with local filmmakers -to bring you -stories made here.

-For more, -visit vermontpublic.org.