George R. Baker Artist * Musician
I was born and raised in Southern California. When I was in my
20's I hitchhiked from Crete to Norway. That was a five month
adventure. I lived in British Columbia in the early 70's. When
I left there I rode a bicycle down to Monterey and ended up
staying for 3 years. I later worked at a ski resort for 2
winters. I made wood cabinets for the ski instructors in trade
for skiing lessons. I skied for free with no lift lines! When I
left there I moved to the small alpine village of Idyllwild where
I met my wife Kristy. We have two rescued dogs. We call the
large dog Woody and the tiny one Chip.
Kristy and I lived for 16 months in Europe. Five of those months
we lived on a farm in Devon, England. I traded guitar lessons to
a club pro for golf lessons. I played golf almost every day. We
also lived on Crete and Santorini, Greece for 8 months. Another
trip we traveled for four months from London to Cairo. The
highlight of that trip was when we went inside the pyramids on
our own. Another fun place we lived was in the Southern
California Desert. We both worked at a World Destination Resort.
I was a bell captain, and Kristy was a concierge. We met the
most interesting people, and I got to play lots of golf for free!
On another trip we pulled a camping trailer down to Acapulco,
Mexico. That adventure lasted four months and covered over
eight thousand miles.
I have always liked making things with my hands. I took
cabinetmaking at a trade school, and eventually made a living
building furniture. Later in life, I found that wood turning was
the most rewarding form of woodwork for me. I have respect for
trees, and the natural beauty of wood. It can be very rewarding
to make something from what was one of Nature's creations.
A couple of years ago I involved myself in a project where I
composed the music, performed, and engineered the music for a CD.
After a year went by I did another CD. We play the music in our
galleries and it seems to have a positive effect on the people
who hear it. I plan on doing another music project again some
day. I forgot to mention that what started as a roadside sale of
my wood turnings in 1995 has turned into three galleries full of
the amazing work of over 60 artists!
My love of rocks and rock hounding led me to the lapidary field.
This time, instead of doing another music project, I bought a
lapidary machine and taught myself how to cut and polish stones.
Believe it or not, rocks are like wood in that each individual
stone cuts, smells and takes a polish differently. I get great
enjoyment turning a stone I have found into a piece of jewelry to
be worn.
My long time hobby is treasure hunting with a metal detector. I
have found some really cool things. I once found a coin purse
with an 1841-dime, 1877 & 1878 quarters. Another great find was
a 1 1/2 ounce gold coin. When we were living on Santorini, I was
snorkeling and found a ring with a black sapphire and diamond the
day before our anniversary! The funny thing was that I had been
looking for a seashell to give Kris, and came up with a ring.
My newest interest ties my love of mechanical things, antiques,
and Art. I am teaching myself how to repair and restore antique
pocket watches.
Thanks to our Patrons for keeping us employed!!! Thanks for
supporting the Arts.
George R. Baker
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