"You'll have a hell of a struggle—but you'll have fun!"

"If it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth doing." -  Wharton Esherick

One of the many benefits of housesitting versus staying in hotels is that the neighbors often become our best references for places to visit.  This was case during our stay in West Chester PA when one of our neighbors highly recommended that we visit the Wharton Esherick Museum located near Phoenixville. During the past three years that we have been nomad-ing, we decided that when a local says "you gotta go there"  - we go!  

As Wikipedia puts it, "Esherick was recognized in his lifetime by his peers as the “dean of American craftsmen” for his leadership in developing nontraditional designs and for encouraging and inspiring artists and artisans by example.  He is best known for his sculptural furniture and furnishings."

His studio and home IS the museum, nestled off a country road on a slope facing a forest. Due to the tight quarters, the tour allowed a max of eight guests at a time - note - you will be climbing some tight stairs with plenty of twists and turns! 

One of Esherick's guiding principles was that there should NEVER be any straight lines (a wink to Mother Nature we believe) - so ALL the surfaces, walls furniture has slight and sometimes not so slight angles. For Jer, it reminded him of a typical Dr. Suess home - whimsical, yet still practical. For Phyl, it put her in mind of Gaudi's creations in Barcelona.

 

It was inspiring to be surrounded by a legacy of authentic and artistic expression - literally at every corner- even the bathroom sink was a work of art!

The Smithsonian stated in their bio of Wharton, "Because he was self-taught as a sculptor and furniture craftsman, he directed any person interested in following his path to just begin, and to learn by making mistakes—"Then you have to work twice as hard to correct the mistakes and the thing begins to take shape." 

We both smiled at this; there were no wrong turns - only opportunities to learn from a new perspective that we hadn't foreseen - story of our nomadic journey!

Esherick summed up like this: "Listen, if you go into this thing that I'm doing, you'll have a hell of a struggle—but you'll have fun."