Chiselling dreams
Published:Sunday | May 19, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Ruth Howard, Arts & Education Writer
The saying goes: The family that prays together, stays together. For the Bartleys, they are a family that create together, laugh and pray together. It all started when Stanford Bartley as an enterprising 15-year-old growing up in Hanbury, Manchester, gravitated towards woodwork.
"I remember I saw somebody doing [wood]work, and would just pick up bits and pieces of wood and put them together. I decided that I loved it and wanted to do it," he said.
Encouraged by his mother, who found somewhere for him to learn the skill, he started delving in this craft and there has been no looking back.
Bartley, who founded Bartley's All-In-Wood, explained that crafting a piece of furniture is a beautiful, multifaceted process.
"First, you have to have a [mental] picture of it, then you go about carefully selecting your timber. You should be very selective of your wood, because the piece you choose will determine the finish and the pattern of what you want."
For Bartley, working with wood is a process of creating masterpieces. Each item of furniture requires dedication, time,
thought and creative energy.
He has been working in
his field for about 38 years now, and his passion for work has
percolated to the family.
It is this aspect of the
business that gives him great pleasure these days - to watch his wife
and children converging their skillset in perfect
harmony.
"It has always been my dream to take over my
father's furniture business," says Lacey-Ann Bartley, his 25-year-old
daughter.
INSTRUMENTAL
Lacey-Ann has
been instrumental in transforming the company into a modernised
production and service delivery unit. "In sixth form, when they asked me
what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wrote lawyer and
cabinetmaker."
Lacey-Ann's younger brother Carlon, 19,
is multi-tasking in the family business - doubling up as a trainer,
engineer, and one of the lead designers.
Says Carlon:
"I've been doing this basically since I was born." He laughs, adding
that all the experience he has working in his father's shop has helped
him in school with his technical subjects.
"It's an
overwhelming experience, because I'm capable of doing things that I
didn't think I would do. I feel accomplished for a high-school
student."
His mother, Carlene Bartley, agrees. "Carlon
is very ..." she pauses to search for the right word, "... he really
knows what he's doing!" Of the work done by her husband and son, she
says: "Most times, when they're finished, you marvel at the
outcome."
About her own role, she adds: "I'm not good
at the machinery. I'm more of a finisher. They give me stuff and I put
it together. I can sand it and put on the finishing touches, because I
like to see a well-finished job."
Apart from playing
the role of mother-wife in this family of innovators, Carlene is
responsible for the design ideas behind a line of products named after
her, featuring pieces for the home like bowls, spoons, and pastry
boards.
In fact, each member of the family has their
own line of furniture and accessories. While the Stanford Bartley
Collection features traditional Jamaican home and office furniture; The
Lacey-Ann Collection focuses mainly on jewellery such as bangles,
earrings, and her own special twist on hair bands, called 'woogies'; and
the Carlon Collection deals with business and contemporary
furniture.
All the creations are made using 100 per
cent Jamaican timber.
Lacey-Ann, who plays the role of
marketing and advertising manager for her family's enterprise,
organised a soft launch for the rebranded company in November last
year.
Her motivation for the work she does in their
company? The smile on her father's face.
"I grew up in
my father's woodwork shop," she says with intensity. "I've seen him go
through the rigours of business. He's a really good craftsman and,
growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, we didn't have as much as we
would have liked, but we had love."
She recalls many
happy moments shared with her family in that woodwork shop, and explains
that helping her father to expand his customer base is her way of
paying him back for being such a dedicated dad.
"It's a
togetherness thing," Carlene explains. "It's very rewarding, and it
helps us to see the genius in each other."
As the
Bartleys strive to create a truly authentic Jamaican brand, they are an
inspiration for those who can creatively transform their lives - and it
is their gift to the
world.
Contributed
photos