Artisans at Work

by: Mike Ranieri, PE

What comes to mind when you see the word “artisan”?  I immediately think of a loaf of crusty bread, freshly baked in a wood-fired oven.  Of course, then thoughts of tearing pieces of bread for dipping in some half-filled dish of olive oil, balsamic, and Italian seasoning wash away any sensible thoughts from my mind.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionay defines an artisan as “a worker who practices a trade or a handicraft.”  It also defines artisan as “a person or company that produces something…in limited quantities…”  The expectation here is that quality is not mass-produced.

While we at SKA Consulting Engineers like to believe that our consulting practice is of an artisan level, there is another layer of “artistry” in our employees.  Some of our co-workers could be considered artisans in other areas of interest, such as quilting, needlepoint, home brewing, and baking, to name a few.

When she is not quenching the threat of fire with her fire suppression designs, Ania, our fire protection designer, assuages the stresses of the day through her colorful quilted creations.  Ania deftly sews a 12” by 12” aggregation of fabrics into a glimpse of one of the special moments collected and stored in a special place near her heart.  Hours upon hours upon hours flow into the preliminary design, the gathering of materials, and the assembly.  I asked Ania to describe her workspace.  Materials for one square foot of creative counterpane can occupy two 6-foot tables, three 8-drawer art supplies organizers, and one 160-spool thread cabinet!

The cost to own one of Ania’s actualized anamneses?  Actually, they’re not for sale.  No, they are either created to be gifted or to become personifications of pictures from Ania’s past.

Please click here to read about Ania’s Circle of Care quilt which raised over $5000 for local breast cancer support.

Published on November 14, 2017
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