Artist Minh Van

“The grain tells me where to stop. I just have to stay quiet long enough to hear it.”

Minh Van started learning the trade at 20, when his father dragged him into the workshop, handed him a chisel, and gave him exactly one piece of advice: “Just hit the wood. If you mess up, the wood’ll let you know.”

Nearly 40 years later, he’s still using that same old chisel. These days, he’s known for working with thick live edge slabs, and somehow the man can read wood grain just by looking at it - no tape measure, no sketch, no fancy gadgets. Honestly, watching him work makes younger craftsmen question why they even bought rulers in the first place.

Every apprentice who’s worked beside him says they learned more from standing quietly in his shop than from any woodworking book out there. Funny thing is,Minh Van hardly teaches with words at all. He just works… and somehow, you understand.