And as he shapes, pieces, and builds fine
furniture out of cherry, walnut, and other
woods: Convince the world by your acts
that on becoming a Master Mason, you have
become a better man.
A MEDITATION IN MASONRY
“Masonry is in the back of my head almost
all day,” says Holme, who was raised 14
years ago at North Hollywood Lodge No.
542. “The fact that I see the symbols of
Freemasonry all day long makes me think
about them more than I might otherwise.”
Like many Masons, Holme is not just a
member of the craft, but a craftsman in the
Now secretary at North hollywood lodge No.
542, holme says his woodwork aNd his work as a
masoN highlight aN effort to better himself.
literal sense. And it’s no coincidence that he became a Mason
almost at the same time he started woodworking full-time. His
journey to fine-art woodworker was as unexpected as it was
steeped in Masonic beliefs.
Now lodge secretary and a district inspector, Holme says his
woodwork and his work in the brotherhood both highlight a
constant effort to better himself. Besides a portfolio of gleaming wood pieces, the result is a more fully-realized craftsman,
husband, and father.
“The hierarchy of what’s supposed to be important is family, work, and Masonry, and we certainly feel that,” says wife
Heather. She and Holme have two daughters: Reagan, age 3, and
Zoe, age 2. “It’s hard to make it as an artist. You have to put in
a lot of extra time if you’re going to do it right. But Chris makes
sure that extra effort doesn’t impact his family negatively in any
way. We never feel like we take a back seat to his art.”
SEEDS OF A WOODWORKER
Though Holme didn’t start his business until around the time
he joined the brotherhood, his relationship with woodworking
is almost as old as he is. He recounts stories of terrified babysit-ters who found him, just five years old, wielding a real power
tool. He designed and built his first piece of furniture – a stool
for his grandmother – when he was age six. At 15, he made her
a porch swing.
Woodworking was so much a part of his life, Holme can’t
remember what first attracted him to it. He’d spend hours following his father around as he “puttered” – a term, he says, that
encompassed everything from building a redwood deck and the
pergola where he now lives to making minor repairs in the family’s Sherman Oaks home.
But he never it thought it would become the centerpiece of
his life or his art. Sure, he admits that he was probably the only
kid in his high school woodshop class who was there because
he loved the craft, not for the easy A. But he also loved the click
of a camera’s shutter as it captured an image. If he were going to
make art, he thought, it would be in photography.
