Tony Verhoff crafts one-of-a-kind wooden creations.
"I think I could do that." For Tony Verhoff, those six words turned out to be the start of something new. When his daughter-in-law asked him to help update the Formica countertops during a kitchen remodel, he had no idea the project would spark a new creative venture.
“They didn’t want to replace them; they just didn’t like the color, and granite countertops are expensive,” he recalls. “We got to looking into options and came across epoxy resin. I painted it black and then used some spray paint and made veins and poured clear epoxy on top of it. You can hardly tell it from a piece of granite.”
His success with the countertop encouraged Tony to search for new projects involving epoxy resin.
“I got to watching YouTube videos, and it just kind of built from there. I go on Pinterest and Etsy and see things, and it’s like, that’s kind of cool. I can do that. Or I’d like to try that.”
Since that first experiment with epoxy on countertops, Tony has gone on tinkering, perfecting his craft, and learning different techniques; and he’s not shy about learning whatever he can from others.
“I call it YouTube University,” he says. “I mean, if you want to learn how to do something, to get around a lot of trial and error, watch YouTube and somebody else that’s done it. It keeps you from making too many mistakes.”
Tony has never thought of himself as an artist, but that is what he has become. He attributes his successes to learning how to creatively solve problems, both from his father on the farm and later from his job at Maytag.
“I just like tinkering with stuff,” he explains. “I look at a piece of wood, and it talks to me. ‘This is what I want to be.’”
Some of his projects combine interesting pieces of wood that he buys or finds in the woods with epoxy. These projects include the crosses he makes for home decor or funeral arrangements and larger pieces like tables. Other projects repurpose existing items.
"My wife will find furniture pieces that somebody’s wanting to throw away. I can bring it back to life or turn it into something else,” Tony explains. “You just let your mind go. If I can envision it in my mind, I’m inspired to try to make it. Some things turn out. Some things don’t. But at least I tried.”
Recently, he's been trying his hand at wood engraving.
“It’s a blast,” he says. “I just saw it, maybe on a YouTube video, and thought that’s kind of cool. I want one of those.”
Now, he’s creating custom cutting boards.
“My daughter-in-law wanted a cutting board with one of her grandma’s cheesecake recipes on it,” Tony recalls. “She gave me the cookbook. I got the little handwritten recipe out, took a picture of it, transferred it into the laser software, and now we’ve got her grandma’s handwriting.”
As with so much of Tony’s work, one project led into the next, and he’s now begun experimenting with combining pieces of wood in different shapes, designs, and layouts to create interesting wood patterns.
“I want to try to make some ornaments for Christmas,” he says. “So, that’s my next adventure: to go out there and find some different designs for making Christmas ornaments.”
After retiring from his work with the state, Tony sees his artistic work as a way to stay mentally active and engaged.
“I think it keeps me younger,” he says. “Keep your mind rolling because once you quit, you can go downhill in a heartbeat. I want to enjoy life while I still physically can.”
You can find many of his pieces at Busch’s Florist and Greenhouse here in Jefferson City, where he also works part-time delivering flowers. He also has a Facebook page called Envision Inspirations, where you can see his current projects.
“Never be surprised at what I’m going to come up with,” he shares.
