Brosborne Blends Art, Math into Wood Concepts

It was only five years ago that Benjie Osborne found the confidence to pursue what he knew he could do with his talents on the professional platform. After moving to Marietta, he found an artist sanctuary among other woodworkers at Marietta’s where he continues to have a shop to this day.

“It was exciting to be an entrepreneur but a little scary during these difficult times,” Osborne says of setting out on his own.

Growing up in Floyd, Va., Osborne once thought he would be a potter. His small local community consisted mostly of potters, so his first experience in the realm of art was with the medium of ceramics. But as time went on, he learned it wasn’t a good fit for him.

During his high school years, Osborne came to realize that he enjoyed math and the arts, eventually settling on a decision to find a career that would marry the two.

“For me, the next logical step was to go into architecture or build furniture,” he says choosing the latter.

Osborne admits working with wood is a lifetime pursuit if one wants to really delve into the many variations of wood manipulation and design. He credits his mentor Nick Cook, also a tenant of the Artisan Resource Center, as a master wood turner who showed him how to actually earn a living at his craft.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s like once you’re all in you just make it happen,” Osborne adds about his ability to maintain his craft during the recession. He says when he first started out he took on any paying job to pay the rent. But as his client base has grown, he can now afford to be a little more selective about the jobs he takes.

He says he hopes to take on four or five jobs per year that he can really find enjoyment in. And, it’s not what you might think that makes the job enjoyable. In reality, it isn’t the project as much as it is the people behind the request that Osborne finds the most interesting.

“Yeah, I get some unique requests,” he says of his current base of customers. Yet one thing Osborne prides himself on is his creativity in creating his pieces. He says people will come in asking for a quote then go to Home Depot or Lowe’s before ever getting back to the craftsman for the quote they asked for.

“I want people to know there are a lot of artists and craftspeople who are really reasonable in their rates, you wouldn’t have to pay much more for it [their work] than you would spend at Home Depot.”

Anchored in the love of his craft, Osborne fully expects to be during his woodwork until his senior years. With a wife, a dog and the proverbial picket fence, he has successfully managed to find his own slice of happiness as he sets out to conquer the world one statue, cabinet, piece of furniture or piece of art at a time.

For more information, contact Benjie Osborne with his company Brosborne Woodesign at: thiswasatree@gmail.com.