Why I make boxes:

I'm a self-taught woodworker who for the last 25 years has concentrated on making wooden boxes. I enjoy making boxes because they are so tactile. By that, I mean the usual first response viewers give to an art object is to step back and admire it. The usual first response to one of my boxes is to reach out and touch it. The inspection process always involves touching. Another reason why I like to make boxes is that the inside of a box can offer a personal discovery, a reward for the viewer that can be shared or not as the viewer chooses. To enhance the reward aspect of a particular box, I sometimes will add a fragrance to the inside of the box that is complimentary to the box's motif.

~ Robert Tarrant