Hi Zach, how are you today? Can you tell me a little about yourself?
I’m great! :) I am the owner and operator of Bell Pepper Mill, living and working in Kelowna BC. I have 2 kids and have been running the shop for about 11 months. Before that I was a professional cyclist and then Cycling team director and a National Team coach for Canada. I represented Canada at 2 Olympic Games (2008 and 2012) and raced professionally and for Canada from 2005 to 2015. I grew up in a small town called Watson Lake in the Yukon.
What got you into woodworking? How long have you been building?
I have a bit of a design background in the schooling I took at the University of Calgary where I was working towards a Masters in Architecture before I joined the national team. My family also has a pretty strong woodcraft tradition on my mothers side. My sister runs a furniture refinishing business in Airdrie and my Uncle is a wood carver and turner.
But, I didn't do any woodworking to speak of until the pandemic grounded me from traveling with the Cycling team I was running at the time. At that time I decided to help my father-in-law get his shop up to working order and asked him to help me start making some of the things you have seen. After the first couple of months he just let me have a free range in his shop and I just started to try and make things I thought were appealing. The lathe work is interesting because neither of us had actually turned anything before. I don't think he has actually used the lathe yet because I have been on it so much. So I have just been teaching myself on that tool as I go. So as I mentioned above I have been at it for about 11 months now.
What inspires you to create your pieces?
This is really variable. Partly client needs. Clients push me to make things I wouldn't consider myself. I try not to say no to any idea. But the design process I learned while in architecture really informs a lot of my decisions. If I am making a scoop there is a lot more intention than "making a scoop". Our professor in the architecture program always used to say "what is this building about" which is vastly different than "what it is for". I ask that same question when making an item. I try to make things that make you acknowledge you are using them because they feel and/or look different. This is most evolved in my scoops but I hope to expand it to everything I do. The experience of using one of my scoops should feel novel. The scale should catch your attention, the edges and colour too should not feel like an off the shelf scoop (unless that's the specific request). So I end up with unconventional forms. It's an evolving process so sorry if that answer is a bit incomplete, I am still growing my process and changing it all the time.
Do you use Roarockit products in the making of your work? How did you find out about us?
Obviously yes, I follow a lot of other builders doing the repurposed skateboard thing. I liked the aesthetic of what they do but I wanted to have more control over the details. So I think somewhere along the way I came across Roarockit while I was looking for Canadian suppliers who could provide the quality colours in less of a pre-made rigid package.
How do you decide what colour combinations to use in your pieces? Your patterns and colour combos are always amazing!
I just try things. I mean I use basic colour theory as a starting point but after that I work with clients, or just start putting colours together in the shop. That's where the Roarockit stuff comes in so handy. If I have an idea I just slap a few offcuts together and test it. If it's terrible it's no big loss. But usually you can tell just by laying the sheets together what will really pop.
What are your thoughts on working with our coloured veneers? Are there any tips you can give to aspiring builders out there?
Oof, I might be too green to give "tips". What I will say is don't fight the natural things that pop up. The veneer is coloured but it is still natural and grainy so you need to embrace that stuff. It's not like adding colour with epoxy where you can have a totally homogeneous colour. If you embrace the natural side as much as the colour it will work great. Also the edge grain (and maybe face grain) is where you get that really electric colour. Use the end grains if you want a more subdued look (which I don't usually).
If people wanted to find out more about your work, where can they see your creations and contact you?
Instagram and Facebook (@bellpeppermill for both) are great places to follow along. I also have a website that will continue to grow, but right now 80 - 90% of what I am making is sold before the dust hits the ground so not everything makes it to the web. But it is a good place to get on the pre-order list which allows you to see stuff before it even hits social channels. That's usually where the good stuff gets scooped (pun intended, it’s ok I have my dad joke card).
Thanks again for your time Zach, any last words for the readers back home?
I am actually starting a studio woodworking course full time in the fall so my hope is it will actually amplify my build game even more. The order space will tighten way up for a few months during that time but I think the skill development is always worth it.
As I am new I am always looking to do fun stuff like this or collaborate more with people in the business, it's how I am learning and how I am making things better step by step.
Thanks again for this chance to be involved with the Roarockit community. I would be very keen to explore more collaborations in the future. It's probably my wiring from being a pro bike rider but I am always looking for unique ways I can contribute to building up the brands I work with. When I was racing that was the only product I had.
Taryn O'Grady,
Roarockit Skateboard Company