How it all started
As a sole craftsman, Dana Wright is Whale Brothers & Co. When he was recently asked How it all started? he had this to say,
“Not sure where it began, but I’ve always loved making things. It began, perhaps, from a melting pot of influences that started simmering in a small town in southern Michigan in the 70’s. From a 3rd grade art teacher who pulled a kid aside to compliment him on a sheep I had made out of home made play-dough to a high school art teacher who inspired and gave me so much freedom to explore in her classroom. From a basement full of odds and ends and tools and space that provided a refuge on cold winter days to an inspiring letter from that same high school teacher. Through a strange turn of events that letter took 20 years to reach me! From the inspiration found at shops in Ann Arbor in the 70’s where the “hand made” was on every corner.…To an eccentric Russian born woodworker in northern California who was more concerned with the “why” in back of the work we do with our hands, than the “how”. To the present day…..all of this fostered a deep seated desire to make things….knives, tools, cabinets, leather goods, acoustic guitars, hammered silver jewelry….”.
Knifemaking, at this point in time, is his primary focus, allowing him to work with many wonderful natural materials. Resulting in functional objects of beauty. Though inspired by many incredible knife makers over the years, the work of Laurent Juhel of France (www.juhelknives.com), more recently has been a tremendous inspiration. “His work opened the door to the traditional knives of Finland for me!” The puukko, the traditional working knife of Finland has “a beauty all it’s own and much of my work now leans in that rich tradition and direction.”
The Whale Brothers & Co. trade mark was designed by Dana and an artist working as an anatomical illustrator in Nashville, TN in 1991. It is a registered trade mark. The inspiration came from examples of vintage trade marks and a chance encounter with an exceptional humpbacked whale carving he and his mother ran into at an antique shop in his home town of Chelsea, Michigan.
“I will always believe that it is a part of the human need to do something well and to be proud rather than ashamed of the work that you’re doing.”
Philosophy
Make it to last….
I love the natural….be it wood, bone, steel or hide. Knifemaking allows me to work with all of these. The earth is full of such incredible materials! The materials I work with are mostly natural and either very old or sourced responsibly. My goal is simple: to work with these materials in such a way that their inherent beauty remains and can be carried, used or worn for years to come.