Dogpatch resident and woodworker, Jodie Prud’homme, carves benches, desks, display boxes, and other pieces of furniture and office items. She’s a fan of forms that allow her to share wood’s curves and tones, preferring to work with honey-colored Alaskan Yellow Cedar, pinkish Madrone, and pale white Port Orford Cedar.
“I naturally feel at home here because Dogpatch has an industrial history. I began renting a studio in the American Industrial Center in 2012. This is where I do all of my handwork,” said Prud’homme.
Prud’homme arrived in the Bay Area in 1998 from New Jersey. She attended Stanford University, ultimately earning a Bachelor and Master of Science in mechanical engineering, and now works in the field part-time.
“Engineering allows me to support myself. I usually split the week between the two types of work, saving art for Thursday and Friday,” said Prud’homme.
In 2010, Prud’homme moved to Dogpatch to be closer to friends. She enjoys visiting other artists’ studios and having morning coffee with neighbors.
“I also rent studio space in West Oakland, where I mill and rough-cut lumber. But I spend more time in Dogpatch. This is where I work on the details that help the form come out,” said Prud’homme.
In high school, Prud’homme was a theater tech, helping with lighting and set building. It took years for her to develop an interest in woodworking.
“In 2008, I took a blacksmithing class at The Crucible. That’s a nonprofit industrial arts education center in Oakland. I was terrible at it. In 2011, I took a woodworking class there. That’s where I first used hand tools. A bit later, I heard about John Sheridan,” said Prud’homme.
John Grew Sheridan, a Bay Area furniture maker, formerly taught at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. He opened his personal studio in Bayview to students, offering woodworking classes. When Prud’homme came to talk to him in 2011, he said she could attend classes for free in exchange for becoming his apprentice.
“I stopped working as a mechanical engineer for close to a year to learn from John. I furthered my skills a lot in his studio. By the time I went back to working as an engineer, I knew someday I’d like to attend The Krenov School,” said Prud’homme.
The Krenov School is part of the woodworking department of Mendocino College, a community college and part of California’s public education system. It offers a nine-month program with an emphasis on furniture making. Krenov alumni tend to be closeknit, supporting one another long after graduation. Prud’homme entered the program in 2017 and completed it in 2018. In 2021, she co-taught with Phoebe Kuo, also a San Francisco woodworker, at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The class imparted techniques related to coopering, a way to make curved pieces, a method derived from barrel making.
Prud’homme enjoys teaching students how to create dowel and box joints, master proper milling techniques, and the basics of finishing, applying a clear coating to the wood after a piece is complete, which guards against moisture and deepens the wood’s color.
“I value sharing conversations with other woodworkers and artists about our projects and experiences. I love teaching the craft, especially to newcomers who are excited to learn,” said Prud’homme.
For a few years, after Sheridan retired in 2015, Prud’homme collaborated with several of his former students on the San Francisco Wood Shop, a teaching center, in Sheridan’s old studio. Woodworkers taught classes there until 2020.
Along with 10 other artisans Prud’homme is a member of the Coast Collective, a group of woodworkers located from the Mendocino Coast to Los Angeles, many of whom are Krenov alumni. The Collective shares information about member artists, woodworking, pieces for sale, and ideas for customers who want to commission pieces.
Many of Prud’homme’s pieces are commissioned, including her current project, a custom desk with ergonomic adaptations.
“I have shown my pieces in a few locations on the East Coast, including the 2019-2020 curated exhibit “Making a Seat at the Table: Women Transform Woodworking” at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. I’ve also shown work at the Wharton Esherick Museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania. This is the former home and studio of American sculptor Wharton Escherick, who worked primarily in wood,” said Prud’homme.
“Get to know the materials, get to know the techniques, but most importantly find your community. Surrounding yourself with people whose work you admire and respect helps you grow in your craft,” Prud’homme advised emerging wordworkers. “I like using drawknives and spokeshaves, both of which I use for shaping and curving wood. Drawknives I typically use for more coarse shaping and spokeshaves for more refined shaping.”
A drawknife is a blade with a handle at each end. The artist pulls it toward them to remove shavings from the wood. A spokeshave is a metal or wood handled tool with a blade in the middle and a handle at each end, which allows an artist to shape edges on wood.
Initially it can be intimidating to work with materials that generate dust and require sharp blades. Over time, a woodworker gains confidence and competence in mitigating risks.
“You wear a dust mask and watch for sensitivities you might develop. You learn to properly use your tools and how to maintain a safe shop,” said Prud’homme.
Mark Steensland 
Rebekah Moan