Handmade Harpsichords Are Lovely To Behold

Craig Tomlinson is an artist in many different ways — a woodworker, a metal craftsman and a gold-leafer with a finely-tuned ear for music. Featured in a short documentary made by filmmaker Morgan Inglis, Tomlinson lovingly hand-crafts gorgeous harpsichords.

The enchanting video was inspired by Made by Hand, a series that, as the name suggests, looks at people who create things using their mitts.

Vancouver-based Tomlinson was first drawn to instrument-making when he was a child on a family holiday. He skied to the bottom of a mountain, where he saw a man building violins. At that magical moment, he said something must have clicked. Interestingly enough, his brother also produces instruments.

Tomlinson, who as the video shows pays painstaking attention to fashioning the intricate harpsichords, says he wants this creations to be handmade, but not look handmade. He calls them “little jewels”, and we’d have to agree that they are quite special to see. We’d like to hear more from them, but the film focuses on the process of creating, rather than the music that follows. [Oh Have You Seen This]