The Norwalk Hour | Sunday, June 25, 2017 JIM SHEA | UNDAY2 THINGS TO DO | 3 PUZZLES | 7 TV LISTINGS | 8 ARTS & STYLE TOUCH OF GLASS Chihuly show shines for return engagement By JOEL LANG / PAGE 6 HOME | 2 ARTS | 4 BOOKS | 5 The art of The sea Summertime the table is his muse page-turner D2 | The Hour | Sunday, June 25, 2017 JIM SHEA Golf and life are a lot alike olf is not life. A BAD DAY OF GOLFING IS NOT BETTER Golfers who have a sem- than driving. OK, maybe it is blance of pride like to be 1 It’s not the clubs, it’s the Glife for some, but THAN A GOOD DAY AT WORK. associated with handicaps clubber. these are usually people that more accurately reflect 1 The more expensive the who don’t have a life. me for five years. I wish I one better than you, and their actual ability. lost ball, the longer a person While golf may not be had never started. I wish I there is always someone Here are other things I will search for it. life, golf is, however, like could stop. I have fallen into you are better than. Even if have learned about golfing 1 You can’t judge a book by life. golf’s trap, and as any golfer someone is better than you, and golfers. its cover or a golfer by his SUNDAY It will surprise you. who has ever been in a trap the gods of golf will make 1 Straight is better than far. body. It will disappoint you. will attest, it is way easier to sure he doesn’t get too full 1 Putting is more important 1 The most popular golfer ARTS & It will delight you. get into a trap than out of of himself. on any course is a guy It will aggravate you. one. There is instant camara- named Mulligan. STYLE It will make you question I am better now than derie in golf, one that is 1 If you drink beer while your sanity. when I started, although my mostly based in frustration playing golf you will not It will toy with your life swing is not there yet. But and misery. This is why play as well, but then you Group Publisher expectancy. then a golf swing is never golfers are very supportive won’t care as much either. It will keep you awake at there. If you are a bad golfer, of each other’s play. This is 1 Golfers do some gross Paul Barbetta night. you obsess about your why golfers will always things to keep their ball Executive Editor It will test your moral swing. If you are a good compliment a good shot or clean including spitting on Barbara T. Roessner fiber, particularly when no golfer, you obsess about commiserate over a missed it and even putting the ball one is looking. your swing. Swings come opportunity. Sometimes in their mouth. Features Editor To get ahead in golf you and swings go, and nobody this is even sincere. 1 It is better to fist bump a Eileen Fischer have to have skill. knows where. Perhaps it is There is honor in golf, but golfer at the end of a round efi[email protected] To get ahead in golf you to the same undisclosed it’s kind of like honor than shake hands. have to have luck. location to which contrac- among thieves. This is espe- 1 A bad day of golfing is not Creative Director To get ahead in golf you tors mysteriously vanish cially true when it comes to better than a good day at Lee Steele have to have unrealistic when the job is half done. determining one’s handi- work. [email protected] expectations. One of the things that cap. One’s (stroke) handicap As is the case with life, keeps me in golf’s clutches is a rolling number based on Jim Shea is a lifelong golf has its good days and its is other golfers. Golfers are the average of one’s scores. Connecticut resident and SEND US YOUR bad days, and until the day characters in a Fellini sense The handicap system allows journalist who believes the STORY IDEAS begins you have no idea of the word. I used to be golfers of varying abilities to keys to life include the efi[email protected] which it will turn out to be. intimidated playing with compete against each other. avoidance of physical labor I have been playing golf people I did not know, but I Golfers who gamble or play and I-95. He can be reached at for five years. Or more accu- have gotten past that. In in competitive leagues like [email protected] and on rately, golf has been playing golf, there is always some- to have high handicaps. Twitter @jimboshea. Home From left, Andrew Griffing, master craftsman and chief designer at Griffin Lee Artisans, hand planes a board flat; a coffee table made with two boards of American black walnut and custom-cut Starphire glass; another coffee table features a windshield from a decommissioned Bombardier Global 5000 jet airliner. The art of the table WHEN ONLY CONNECTICUT goes for $18,000. “It’s literally a one of a WOOD WILL DO kind; no one else in the world will ever own it,” By Lidia Ryan About a year ago, the Levethan says. three decided to start their Generally, Levethan says, elissa Levethan own company and sell the their pieces go for $3,000 to and Daniel Lee design. Griffin Lee Artisans $15,000, depending on the Mwere on vacation was created. Levethan, a size and amount of detail. in Arizona when they came Stamford resident who was Most of their business has across some coffee tables for a stay-at-home mom for 23 come locally from word-of- sale that had turquoise years, is the president and mouth. While they do most- chips set into the wood. Lee head of marketing; New ly custom orders (which started texting pictures of Milford native and Danbury usually take about eight to 12 the tables to one of his col- resident, Andrew Griffing is weeks to complete), they leagues in construction, the chief designer and mas- also have a small inventory Andrew Griffing. ter craftsman; Norwalk showcased at Schwartz “My phone was blowing native and New Canaan Design Showroom in Stam- up,” Griffing says. “He said, resident Daniel Lee is the ford, Caravan Curated ‘Can you believe these ta- finish craftsman and sales Home in New Canaan, bles? They’re selling for a and design consultant. They Against the Grain in New crazy amount of money, but operate out of a warehouse Canaan, at the warehouse you can make something on the Danbury/Bethel and are starting to catch the nicer.’ ” border where Lee and Griff- eye of interior designers. When they got back from ing work on designing and A few donated pieces can their trip, Lee and Levethan constructing the furniture, be found throughout the got together with Griffing to as well as consulting with area, including a reception design a similar table that clients. table at Carriage Barn Arts would translate to East Levethan says it’s impor- Center in New Canaan. The Coast style. They were al- tant to them to keep their very first table they created ready fans of American company local. They get the was donated for an auction black walnut, which is in- American black walnut at the Jimmy Spada Golf digenous to the area, so they from local sawmills in Wil- Classic in Sherman, which wanted that wood as the ton and Ridgefield and use a supports the Brain and base. local glass cutter. The ware- Behavior Research Founda- “Daniel came up with the house is about 4,000 square tion. Another one was auc- concept of creating art from feet and has two offices, tioned off at the 2017 Glass earth,” Levethan says. which they hope to turn into House Summer Party, “We’re not creating furni- a showroom sometime in which supports the Philip ture, we’re creating art.” the near future. One of the Johnson Glass House. Griffing, who had never most impressive pieces “It’s expensive to make really designed furniture there was an unfinished the tables, but I personally before, but whose father conference table. Two 11- have always been involved was a builder, came up with foot-long slabs of natural in philanthropy and com- a design in which Starphire wood sat on zigzag legs munity service. It’s impor- glass is hand cut to follow waiting for glass to be in- tant to give back to our com- the edges of two pieces of serted between them. munity,” Levethan says. wood and placed in the So far, Levethan said they While the three owners middle of them; pure copper have had about six orders work part time at their new is inserted into the grooves and they don’t just make company, they hope to ex- of the wood. The Black Cop- coffee tables. Griffing and pand to a full-time opera- perfire Collection is in- Lee will design and build tion with more employees spired by the elements. The whatever a client wants. and orders from every- wood is earth, copper repre- One of their latest com- where. sents fire and wind and pleted projects is a coffee “I feel like, with Andrew, water create sand, which table made from a jet win- we can do anything that makes glass.