Our Story
Art is what brought us together. It was July of 2012 and John was in his final year as a student at a piano repair school. He had moved to Washington State the year before from Salt Lake City where he was living with his parents. Anni was a volunteer artist for the school's fundraising project. The theme of the piano was coincidentally...love. John walked right into the classroom Anni was working in and put his hand on the piano she had been painting (still wet!). It felt meant to be.
Neither one of us knew how important that day would be or what journey we were about to start together!
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Our first date was in John's garden plot, we sat in the dirt picking peas and getting to know each other. It was magical, to say the least!
​Three years later we got married in the same garden spot. ​
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We've been together thirteen happy years. We are both full time artists. John is a woodworker doing mostly lathe turnings and Anni is a mixed media artist working with clay, wood, paint, paper and any material that can be used to make art. We now live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with our pup Pickle. Find a gallery of our art HERE and you can read about our story in our book, The Blind Woodsman. It can be purchased through most online bookstores.
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John's Story
John Furniss, also known as The Blind Woodsman, has overcome remarkable obstacles in his life.
​At age 16, he survived a suicide attempt that left him blind and without a sense of smell. John had to learn how to navigate the world with total blindness as a teenager. John struggled coping with his blindness and fought an uphill battle with addiction and mental health challenges. John took a woodworking class for the blind in his 20's, it gave him a sense of peace and purpose.
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Today he is an artistic woodworker known as "The Blind Woodsman" and an inspiration to millions worldwide. Alongside his wife Anni who is also an artist, they use their social media platforms to spread awareness about disability, mental health and art.
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As a blind woodworker, the blueprints for any of his projects start forming as a picture held in his mind. Because he previously had vision, it allows him to visualize the design and change it any way he needs until it feels right. In his own way he still uses sight by forming a physical object that originated from an imagined diagram. The journey in his own wood shop has mirrored his journey through blindness. Each project has brought its own challenges, much like navigating the landscape of a sighted world without sight.
Check out more of his work HERE
Anni's Story
Lovingly called "HoneyBee" by John, Anni Furniss is a mixed media artist with over 25 years of artistic experience.
Using art as a therapeutic tool since age 18, she draws inspiration from her struggles with mental health and chronic illness.
She loves exploring new mediums and uses various materials in her whimsical creations. Painting, sculpting, woodworking, fiber arts, paper arts and photography are all part of her creative toolbox.
She loves running social media for her and John's pages and has taught herself how to run their business (and is still learning!).
She loves cooking, reading and taking nature walks with John. Her dream is to write and illustrate a children's book someday.
Check out more of her work HERE
