The Origin Part 4

   A random thought provoking question to start this time... Was Quentin Tarantino really original with starting in the middle and going to beginning later or was he just a George Lucas fan and expanded on His idea...hmmm

Ok, last time I was talking about how crappy the pool cue buying situation is and how it needs to change. I'm going to pick up there soon but we have to take a side step first because there's more to the story which at first will seem totally unrelated.  I love art!  Hahaha, you didn't see that coming did you? I promise it'll tie in.

I've always been drawn to great artwork (pun intended)  I would love to consider myself an artist and over the years have dabbled in mediums from pencil and pen work to painting and recently wood.  A lot of this love came from a childhood idol, and later good friend, Ronn Stern.  Ronn is one of the greatest artist I know because he can generate real life quality art with such ease it's almost infuriating, and carry on intelligent conversation while doing it. It's almost like a second nature and something he was just born to do and I could and have just sit and watch him "work" for hours in complete awe.  I love creativity and originality and, to use an over used phrase, this man has more in his little finger than almost anyone else I know can dream of having ever.  Google up some of his paintball and Civil War work and you'll see what I mean.

While I love his kind of art I have recently found myself attracted to wood working and carving.  This started a year or two back when I wanted to take up pipe smoking (kids, don't smoke It's bad for you blah blah)  I couldn't find a pipe I liked though because they were either crappy looking factory produced or way to expensive for me hand carved pieces.  So I decide I would make my own.  I knew nothing about making a pipe so like the rest of the world today I turned to Google to learn.  It wasn't long before I found Stephen Downie.  He's a pipe maker in America's hat (Canada).  Before you jump my case and tell me pipe making isn't art check out some of his work at http://downiepipes.com/commissions.html. This man, like my friend Ronn, is nothing short of Amazing!  More than that though he is incredibly giving and helpful.  I started emailing him questions on the regular and he was always willing to help with any knowledge he had and I quickly became addicted to wood working.  

I have made a few pipes now and i do plan to make more my focus has changed.  I still want to work with wood but, you guessed it, I want to make Pool Cues!  Not just any pool cue though, I want to be the Ronn Stern/Stephen Downie of pool cues.  I want to make to make pool cues that are such artistic creations that one would just as soon display it as shoot with it. Stephen wrote in a recent blog "...I wanted to bring interest and beauty to an everyday object."  I can't say it any better. Pool Cues today are mostly production made crap with fake inlays and poor quality. There are a few good cue makers out there and some really nice "custom pool cues" but they are getting harder and harder to find and the "Custom Cues" that do exist are rarely one of kind which to me is the very meaning of "custom"

That, combined with my passion for customer service is what has driven me to start www.BilliarSupplyHouse.com.  I have yet to start making any pool cues but the day is fast approaching (as soon as I can afford a decent Cue Lathe hahaha)  

So now you know the back story and then some.  Until next time, happy shooting!

Jason

Billiard Supply House.com