"The creative leap from building acoustic guitars for the Santa Cruz Guitar Company to making one-of-a-kind wooden goblets and mugs was a fortuitous one for me. I’ve always been interested in building things, and I’ve played the guitar for as long as I can remember, so building a wooden instrument held an extra fascination. But it turned out to be my love of working with the wood itself that prompted me to start Goodly Woods in 1993. The smell of just-carved wood, the age-old tools, and the time and care it takes to craft a vessel by hand connect me to something elemental that’s often missing in the day to day of our fast-paced world. Turning wood on a lathe is somewhat similar to working on a pottery wheel, only the raw material is wood not clay and the shaping tools are chisels rather than fingers, and it’s always a thrill to see the creations that emerge.

From my workshop in southern New Mexico’s peaceful Mimbres Valley, my four talented studio artisans, Gabriel Feldman, Millie Howlett (not pictured), Isaac Clodfelter, Benjamin Coffey, and I turn out hundreds of unique goblets and mugs every year. Our vessels are made from tropical and exotic hardwoods from all over the world and each one is a true collector’s item. I consider myself very lucky to be making a living doing what I love."

Joe Victor - owner/ craftsman - Goodly Woods

Joe is also a musician, songwriter, and producer working from his home studio in New Mexico - Black Range Recording. You can listen to a bit of his current music here.