Annandale’s Dan Burke: artistry in wood

After retiring from a successful career as a molecular
biologist, Annandale resident Dan Burke has made the transition to
woodwork artisan.

Burke’s woodworking career started when he and his wife
Susan, an accomplished needlepoint artist, moved into their Broyhill Crest home
about 15 years ago and began searching for a bookcase for their living room. He
couldn’t find a ready-made one he liked and custom bookcases were too
expensive, so he decided to make one himself and took a weekend woodworking
class.

The first bookcase took him 16 months to make but he was
happy with the result. He started making boxes from the leftover wood, and from
there, moved on to furniture. Burke started selling his pieces when he ran out of
room in his house to display them.

His most popular items are simple boxes with rounded edges
that sell for $60 to $70 and small jewelry boxes with a tray, which usually go for
about $75. A large jewelry box with several compartments is about $175.  A dresser or bookcase would be about $1,000.

Burke has a workshop in his home and also rents a workshop at
the Reston Community Center. He’s
currently learning how to make puzzle boxes with secret compartments.

“The hardest part is trying to figure out what someone wants
to buy that I want to make,” Burke says. He’s found “people like things they
can use and that are nice to touch and show the wood in the design.”

Burke doesn’t like spending his weekends sitting around
craft bazaars, so the only one he participates in is an annual craft fair in
Richmond, where artists doesn’t have to appear. His work can also be found at
the gift shop at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond and has been on
display at various craft galleries in Northern Virginia. 

You can find some of his pieces at the Artisans United Craft Gallery at the Packard Center, 4022-C Hummer Road, Annandale.