Feature: The Blind Woodsman
Photos courtesy of Anni Furniss
Bringing Life and Light to Clark County Through Art
By Brooke Strickland
ith an open heart
and a wild imagination, John Furniss of Washougal put his feet in the cold water of the ocean. He immersed himself in the calming sound of the waves and with the wind blowing on his face, he took a breath and imagined what the depth and breadth of the ocean was like. Furniss, who has been blind since the age of 16, stood alongside his loving wife Anni Furniss, who helped him experience the ocean in a way that touched his soul. While this is just a glimpse of the couple’s many life adventures together, their true adventure lies in the art and business they’ve created and Furniss’s ability to develop breathtaking art in the form of woodwork.
Furniss grew up in a tiny town in Colorado and when he was 13, he and his family moved to another small town in Wyoming. He had a very difficult time as a teenager, struggling to fit in and feel accepted by his peers. When he was 16, Furniss attempted suicide, leading to his blindness. After this life-altering event, the outpouring of support from family and friends was overwhelming. Furniss shares, “My experience changed me so much, I might as well have been born when I became blind. I feel very blessed that I have adapted well to blindness.” His experience helped shape who he is, and now Furniss’s passion for life is evident to anyone he meets. “I’ve learned that you have to keep going even if it’s frustrating, because you
“Learning to laugh at myself is one of the best things I've ever learned to do.” 12
Vancouver Family Magazine • www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com • July 2018
will get there eventually. I don’t allow my disability to ‘disable’ me because there are ways around most anything. I don’t let my lack of sight scare me out of doing things that I want to do.” In his mid-20s, Furniss learned woodworking at a school for the blind in Salt Lake City. Over time, he honed his skills and in 2011, he moved to Vancouver to attend the Emil Fries School of Piano Technology for the Blind. He completed the piano tuning and rebuild program in 2013 and ran a piano rebuilding business for about two years. But, his heart was pushing him to pursue something more creative, so he decided to revisit woodworking in order to express himself through art and to nurture his desire to create beauty. Furniss met his wife Anni, who is also an artist, at the Piano School in July 2012. continued on page 14