Passion of an Artist, Harold Hayslett
Down a staircase lined with photographs of violins and through a cello filled room, you will find Harold Hayslett tucked away in his quaint workshop.
Hayslett, of South Charleston, hand-makes violins, cellos and violas.
"I suppose I was born with the inclination to make these. I have always wanted to make things with my hands and when I was probably 16, I made my first violin," Hayslett says. "I didn't have one to look at when I was working, there were only a couple in the country, so I had to draw what I thought they looked like and make a pattern."
His first violin, made in 1933, sadly disappeared while he was in the military during World War II. The violin was only half the size of a normal violin but Hayslett had to make do with what he had. "I couldn't bend the wood at that time, so I cut some green hickory and used that. It wasn't much of a violin, but it satisfied me for the time being."
Now, Hayslett's instruments are, you could say, more finely tuned. Completely self-taught, he has developed his craft over the years.
His 72 violins, 62 cellos and 13 violas can be found across the country and around the world. Arie Lipsky, the principal cellist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, played one of Hayslett's cellos. "He thinks it's the best one made," Hayslett says.
With encouragement like that, Hayslett doesn't plan to ever stop whittling. His love for the instruments he creates will continue through violin numbers 73, 74, 75..
