May 14, 2026 Speaker, Skip Slomski

I’ve been working with wood since I was about 12 years old, and 10 years later, in 1981, I was apprenticing and learning the trade the old-fashioned way. Along the way, I also studied architectural engineering, which gave me a strong foundation in how things go together - both structurally and visually.

Over the years, I’ve done just about everything in the woodworking world - shop work, field installs, and office roles. I’ve carved ball-and-claw legs, shaped realistic ducks, restored antique furniture, rebuilt a 38' charter boat, and built many custom pieces, including slab tables inspired by the work of George Nakashima. I also spent a good part of my career working on commercial office interiors throughout the DMV area.

Somewhere along the line, I realized my brain tends to work in 3D - I can picture a piece before it’s built, turn it around, and work through the details. At times it even feels like I can see into the wood itself - what it wants to become - kind of like Tony Stark's  J.A.R.V.I.S.… just with more sawdust and a lot less tech.

These days, after stepping away from that side of the business, I focus mostly on commissioned pieces and my turned art. What I enjoy most now is working with wood that’s been overlooked or discarded -

finding the character in it and bringing it back to life.

Wood’s always been at the core of who I am. Still is.