Although Rogowski majored in literature at Reed
(he wrote his senior thesis on Dostoevsky), his friends were a clique
of physics students who helped shape his worldview. He recalls funny,
weird, intense, middle-of-the-night conversations about theoretical physics
or why fingertips get sticky when wet.
“ I knew about symbols and motifs,” he says, “and these
guys understood the way the world worked.”
After
graduating, Rogowski dropped a plan to pursue a doctorate and then teach.
He was working a dreary job pouring concrete when he serendipitously found
a hunk of cedar and a hand plane discarded in the bushes outside the house
he shared with friends. He crafted a simple bench from the wood and launched
himself into a new career.
It was a strange sort of choice, given that he had never before shown
the slightest interest in making anything out of wood or any other medium,
for that matter. A bookish boy, he had always steered clear of high school
shop classes.
So like any good Reedie, Rogowski started out by getting himself some
books and some tools and locking himself away to study and learn.
The early years were a struggle as he worked day and night to master the
craft, living practically hand to mouth. He started showing handcrafted
pieces at Portland’s Saturday Market and eventually moved on and
up to art galleries around the country, showing one-of-a-kind pieces that
could fetch upwards of $10,000.
