THE ARTISAN CHRONICLES

Across every historic neighborhood in America, the same truth quietly echoes through the cracks of peeling paint and the rattling of century-old sashes: our windows are calling out for help. And when the windows go, the rest of the house soon follows. But here’s the good news—if we save the windows, we save the community. Not just aesthetically. Not just symbolically. Literally. Historic windows are the keystones of our built heritage.

Many consider John Leeke the godfather of the modern historic window restoration movement. Long before Facebook groups and YouTube tutorials

Every historic house tells a story. Its windows—the eyes of the home—are often the first to show signs of age. Painted shut, rotting, or even replaced with vinyl, these windows can seem like a lost cause. But here’s the truth: they can be restored. And you can learn how. This fall, the Total Window Makeover Workshop is coming to the historic 1929 Hotel Seville in Harrison, Arkansas. Over the course of five days, you’ll gain hands-on experience in Window Craft—a trade that

WindowFest + WindowLympics (Oct 27–Nov 7, Harrison, AR): Two weeks of hands-on training, real-world competitions, and an artisan community built around the Five Pillars of Window Craft. Come learn. Come compete. Come belong.

Let’s talk about the Sash Factory—not just the tool itself, but the world it opens up. When used inside the framework of Window Craft, it becomes a game-changer. Sure, I can sell you a unit. You can roll it out in a field, driveway, garage—anywhere—and make a sash. But the true power of the Sash Factory doesn’t lie in its mobility. It lies in what it enables when paired with the right system, structure, and team. Not Just a Machine—A Movement Building a sash isn’t just w

From the framing crew to the pulpit, from crown moulding to window sashes, my journey wasn’t marked by clarity—but by obedience. Only now do

All the earth was a window once. That thought’s been following me—haunting me, even. Before the walls, before the shelter, before the...

How the systems meant to save our historic homes may be silently letting them rot. In the world of historic preservation, good intentions...

A reflection on calling, sacrifice, and why sacred work still matters On the side of our building, there’s a mural. At first glance, it...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Peter’s denial of Jesus — not just the words or the act itself, but a small, piercing detail:

Not everything in life — or craftsmanship — can be measured with a ruler or captured with a chisel. Some things run deeper. Here at...

When I was in my early twenties, I started a music group. I called it Charismatic Pain. It sounded crazy to most people.

When it comes to saving historic windows, most people focus on quick fixes: patching rot, slapping on paint, or swapping in replacements

Surely every Artisan is a worker, but not every worker is an Artisan. Every Artisan indeed is a worker, but what kind of worker?

What do you want for Christmas? Maybe it's a black swan on the back of a unicorn. I'm going to be glad to spend a few weeks at home with...

The business is so simple, yet so complex. Any complexities with the windows have all been removed, making the windows so simple to work...

Window restoration functions best as a team effort. After the initial set up, what I call the Mechanical Makeover, the work naturally...

Having been thinking for years about what kind of person I need to hire to help with the work at Wood Window Makeover, I am starting to...

Do you ever watch the TV show Survivor where they throw a bunch of people into a wilderness to compete in various challenges? Yet before...

(Entire unedited and candid discussion between Steve and Lynda about the state of the business and why she’s leaving Wood Window...