“The boats I make are imperfect, everything is. When something is handmade it’s almost like the beauty is in the imperfection … and when it comes out you can feel that, that imprint of the individual on the work”
The personal video by Penn & Panache of Toronto based Marc Russell, founder of Gull Lake Boat Works, gives an inkling into the craftsman; his humble nature, his striving for perfection even though it doesn’t exist and how his work immerses and defines him. GLBW specializes in creating custom canoes and kayaks, pouring between 100 and 200 hours into a boat that is set to last for generations. It’s clearly a mode of production that will endure – embracing the old and new, combining function and aesthetics, creating a product that will last by definition and which importantly will instill a continuing pride of ownership for those that demand it.
