Mid-Shore craftsman Bob Ortiz calls his program a “vacation workshop” but that might be a bit misleading for a few reasons.
The first is that while his workshop is indeed fun for the inspiring woodmaker, the “vacation” actually describes five, eight hour days working in Bob’s Chestertown woodshop to produce one piece of furniture during that time. The second is that while the word”workshop” may imply that you will have fellow students, the reality is that it only includes one pupil working side by side with this master craftsman to create an exquisite dinner or side table that the student can honestly say, “I made this.”
These are also perhaps the reasons why Bob’s workshops have grown in popularity since he started offering the program two years ago. From an NPR journalist to a top executive at Facebook, twenty-four students of all ages have now graduated with a legacy of craftsmanship that can be passed on for generations.
The Spy sat down with Bob at the Spy HQ in Chestertown to talk about this remarkable program.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about Robert Ortiz Studios and Vacation Workshops please go here
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