Our Story
From the pilot's seat to carving seats...
Growing up in Virginia's Northern Neck, William Jenkins took his first woodworking class at high school in Montross. Woodworking became a life-long hobby even as Jenkins went to school at Virginia Tech and served in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves.
After retiring as a commercial airline pilot in 2001, Jenkins launched his second career when his wife Lucylin requested more comfortable dining room chairs.
Jenkins took his first class in Windsor chair-making from Michael Dunbar in Hampton, New Hampshire, and has returned often to Dunbar's Windsor Institute to learn how to make complicated Windsor chairs and settees. He has also taken classes in wood-turning from Ernie Conover of Ohio.
Since Jenkins started selling chairs professionally in 2003, Locust Farm Windsors have found homes in Virginia and throughout the country. In 2005, Jenkins was awarded the designation of "Virginia Professional Artisan" by the Artisans Center of Virginia, a state-supported center to recognize distinguished state craftsmen.
We want to acknowledge and thank the professional photographer TYLER DARDEN whose amazing photos are used throughout our website.
TYLER DARDEN
Food & Lifestyle Photography—Richmond, Virginia & Washington D.C.
Spending most of my fifteen year career as a magazine art director and photographer, I have worked with a wide variety of subjects from senators and beauty queens to chefs and turkeys. I enjoy the time with the personalities I photograph and the gratifying part is hearing their story and capturing the moment in time.
My work has been recognized in the creative industry’s leading publications: Art Director’s Club of New York Annual, the Communication Arts Design Annual, Print magazine’s Regional Design annual, Creative Quarterly, Photo District News, Society of Publication Design Annuals and SPOTS competition.
I often use older film cameras including an 11x14 ultra large format Burke & James, 8x10 and 4x5 pinhole cameras, and a beautiful Pentax 67. My recent favorite is a 1960’s era Polaroid Land camera converted into a 4x5 rangefinder. I live, work and play in Richmond, Virginia with my lovely and very understanding wife, two daughters and son.
VISIT TYLER DARDEN'S WEBSITE CLICK HERE.