Wood Is Art

Wonder

2012-01-27T01:13:00.000-05:00

I just finished this piece, Wonder. It started as a "doodle" of sorts, with no plans, direction, or preconceived objective. I'd always thought it would be interesting to play with a board of curly ash but had never found any in the lumber yard, but then, I was looking at a scrap board that had been left over from a shelving project and noticed a little curl in the grain so I figured this was my opportunity. The left side is camferred at a real low angle, maybe 20 degrees? The other side is rounded, also gradually. I also left some of the light planning marks on it. Though I normally go back and clean up any marks I find though the shellacking process, I didn't see the point on making the surface of this one perfect, at least not in that way.

Wonder

shellac on ash

38" x 8" x 1"

©Robert Hitzig

The difficult part about this piece, and one of the reasons it took so long, was in dealing with the extremely open grain in ash. Granted, there are ways to fill the grain that aren't so time consuming, but I also wanted to fill the pores with color and if I filled the grain first, I wouldn't be able to, and if I filled the grain after adding the color, I was afraid the color would be obscured. I ended up doing a partial fill and then used shellac to do the rest, which requires a lot of polishing and then a lot more waiting because the pores will open back up after a couple of weeks and the process has to be repeated many times. There may be a better way to do it but this is what I did this time.

Here is an image of it with a white background and shadows.

Wonder (white background)

And here is a closeup image. You can see at least one of the planing marks on the far left side. It is interesting how tinted shellac will exaggerate even the slightest imperfections. I don't think it would have been noticeable with any other process.

Wonder (closeup)

The point of this piece is that there is no point. I can't justify doing it. I don't have a rational for making it and I can't imagine that the time put into it is even remotely related to the amount of money I could get for it. Admittedly, I've been obsessive with it but not for any reason that I could explain. So the title is really just a question that I ask myself.

Great Museum Seating

2012-01-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

I recently visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see Ellsworth Kelly's show of wood sculptures, however, in order to avoid getting thrown out of the museum for repeatedly violating their policy of no photography in the special exhibit, I wandered around the rest of the museum hoping that the security guards would rotate out -- which they did about every 45 minutes. In doing so, I saw a lot of great art, but what I was really excited to find were these world class benches and seats that the MFA had strategically placed in unassuming and surprising places. The first that I stumbled across was this pair of Wendell Castle chairs in the ancient Asian art gallery.

Zephyr Chairs

walnut

1979

Wendell Castle

What an absolute treat! I'd never had the opportunity to sit in a Castle chair and I can now attest that not only are the stunning to look at, they are also quite comfortable.

As I left this spot I made a point of keeping an eye out for more great seating and in a nearby room of Asian horse sculptures (and paintings?) I found this fantastic Judy Kensley McKie bench.

Pegasus Bench

mahagony and leather

1979

Judy Kensley McKie

Though I couldn't find a label identifying the bench I think this is the correct title because it is how Edward Cooke referred to it his 2004 interview with Judy. As with many of her animal sculptures, Judy engages the viewer by designing these horses/pegasi with a little mystery. In looking at them, you can't be quite sure what they are at first, you need to look longer and think about it. It creates an appropriately mythical feel to the piece. Unfortunately, the bench engaged at least one visitor a bit too much given that one of the ears had to be reattached.

Then, not to far away, I think in a gallery of Greek sculpture, I came across this impeccably designed bench by Hank Gilpin.

Bench

curly maple and walnut

1999

Hank Gilpin

The top is a very wild piece of curly maple with the cracks and splits left naturally unfilled or repaired.

Gilpin Bench (top view)

But from the bottom side you can see the remarkable quality of the design and execution. For example, note the gentle curve in the stretchers, the through tenons that are left slightly proud, the pins in the leg securing the tenon are also slightly proud, and, most interesting, look at how he helped to make the bench top look lighter, as if it is floating above the base, by creating a half-inch(?) gap above the legs and by also camferring the edge of the bench. In doing it, he has given a very light feel to a piece that is very solid in its construction.

Gilpin Bench (underneath view)

Though I continued to look for more great seating during the rest of my visit, I didn't find any more. However, in checking the museums inventory, it looks like there is also a Maloof in another of their less visited galleries (although the MFA has graciously decided to invite the general public to use these great works of art from their permanent collection, I don't think they want them to be subject to the kind of abuse they would experience in their more popular galleries). I'll definitely keep an eye out next time I'm there and will update this list as I locate them.

Sushi At Three

2012-01-11T19:58:00.000-05:00

Here is my first piece of 2012:

Sushi At Three

shellac on curly maple

24" x 33" x 1.5"

January 2012

©Robert Hitzig

It really needs to be looked at from the side in order to get the effect I was experimenting with. I consider it a progression from my wedge series but in this case I'm cutting the wedge as a resaw rather than a ripsaw.

Sushi At Three (side view)

Since this was the first piece using this style of wedge, I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, however, in the end, I was pleased with the effect. I'd like to see a large piece in this style, with many more sections, but I'll wait to get some reactions before committing to another. I especially like the overall outline it creates with the wall. It reminds me of Frank Stella's irregular polygon series, but I find this work much more interesting.

Update January 14, 2011: Based on a comment, I thought it would be useful to include images of this piece with a white background. Let me know what you think and if I should continue this style or the ones above. I know my photography still isn't the best. I think I need to get more lights to improve the accuracy.

Sushi At Three (white background - front view)

Sushi At Three (white background - side view)

Another Side of Calder

2012-01-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

On a recent trip to DC, I stopped in the National Gallery and found the Alexander Calder room. On seeing the exhibit there were two things that struck me; first, many of the pieces were made with wood; and, second, I didn't think the work was great!?! I found these points shocking because I had never previously considered Calder a wood artist and, second, I don't remember ever seeing any of his work that I didn't consider brilliant.

For example, there was this piece, Untitled (the wood mobile) that he made in 1943. Interestingly, though he is still playing with themes of balance that he often uses in his metal work, this piece combines odd juxtapositions in a clunky and inelegant form. The title is a bit confusing because it doesn't look like the piece moves, so maybe it is a joke, but even if it does move it can't have nearly the movement or elegance of his true mobiles.

Untitled (the wood mobile)
1943

Then there is this piece, Untitled (Constellation Mobile), which reminds me more of Calder imitators than the master himself. In addition to clunky, I would describe it as chaotic and incoherent. It doesn't seem to have any of the elegance or refined craftsmanship his work typically displays.

Untitled (Constellation Mobile)
1941

Untitled (Constellation Mobile) (closeup)

And here is his Vertical Constellation With Bomb, similar to Untitled (above) in its chaotic nature and irregular, seemingly unrelated but artificially attached, forms.

Vertical Constellation With Bomb
1943

Vertical Constellation With Bomb (closeup)

In comparison, here is a non-wood piece, Little Spider, in the same exhibit and constructed during the same period (I took the image off the Smithsonian website because I mistakenly didn't photograph thinking that I should only capture the wood pieces). I feel that it is unarguably a great piece -- elegant, light, well balanced, a fine combination of both complexity and economical design, gracefulness, while being completely original. Even in a still photograph it has movement. It is the kind of work that has made Calder Calder.

Little Spider
1940
Alexander Calder

His Wikipedia page and the Calder Foundation Biography both say that he made these wood pieces during the war because metal was hard to come by. Maybe, though this Spider piece uses barely more metal than Untitled above and it is hard to believe that he didn't have a few more scraps laying around. In addition, he made pieces with wood from the beginning of his career to at least 1951. Perhaps it would have just been too embarrassing to be ostentatiously making all metal pieces at the height of the war.

I think that if he really intended his wood pieces to be a substitute for his metal work, they would have been more graceful and less quirky. Instead, it looks to me like he was just using the time and the medium to explore a different side of his artistic self. It reminds me of Matthias Pliessnig's quirky ad lib series that I mentioned in a post a couple of years ago. Matthias is famous for his gracefully swooping, wave-like benches, but he also makes odd little sculptures with found objects that don't seem to have any relationship to his benches. I think in both cases, and in my own experience, the mental intensity and physical demands of making something beautiful and elegant creates the need for a mental counter-weight, something that can let one part of your mind rest and while you do something different.

Work like this can be rejuvenating. On their own, this counter-weight art could easily be dismissed -- if this is all Calder made he likely would have long since been forgotten -- but in the context of his other work it is great, even if at first it is confusing, because of what it allowed him to make when he was ready to. I have no evidence, but I believe he made this work because he needed to and when some one asked him "why" he used the war as an excuse. I'd bet he also had a secret stash of odd pieces that he made in private much later that he just never wanted to show but which gave him the ability to concentrate on his monumental work. No evidence, but I'm just saying, I think this work is a glimpse into the another side of Calder he didn't show often.

Neither Either

2012-01-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

I recently finished a new piece in my wedge series. I started it in March, after I got back from the Baltimore American Craft Council show, having heard such a positive response to the earlier wedge piece I took down there, Green Chimneys. With this one, I decided the next step would be to make double-sided wedges. Looking at the earlier one now, I feel this is definitely an improvement. I'll be back there again this year so, hopefully, this one will sell just as fast.

Neither Either Nor Or

shellac on curly maple

44" x 17" x 3.5"

December 2011

©Robert Hitzig

Though I worked on the piece for nine months, at least six months of that period was spent thinking. Originally, the two sides were further apart and the middle section was made with walnut (the support spacers on the sides are still walnut). After putting it together the first time I realized both needed to change but I wasn't sure about how. I also contemplated not using tinted shellac, or maybe leaving sections untinted but as I started, I didn't like those options either. I have to admit, it was a little intimidating to contemplate painting each of the 35 sides, especially with so many small ones (which are more difficult than larger areas). I'm sure that is another reason the roughed-out piece sat on my wall for six months.

Neither Either Nor Or (left side)

I'm not sure if the title is confusing or not but I like the rhythm of it and it refers to choosing "neither" from an either/or situation.

Neither Either Nor Or (right side)

Buy This Magazine

2011-12-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

The 2012 issue of Woodwork (magazine) has been out since the end of November and, if you haven't yet pick up your copy, I highly recommend you do it soon. Unfortunately, you'll have to find a pretty good newsstand to find it, I picked mine up at Barnes and Noble, airports are probably also a good bet as well as some woodworking tool stores. If you can't find a newsstand with it, it is still worth ordering directly from their publisher, which I did last year because, even at an additional $8 for shipping, it was still cheaper than making a special trip to Burlington.

Would that it came out more than once a year, as it used to, but I know to at least be thankful that it is still being published. Thankfully, this issue has a dearth of "how to" articles. As far as I'm concerned, the step by step instructions of building someone else's design that are typical mainstays of woodworking magazines are really boring -- I always skip them. Instead, Woodwork focuses on wood artist profiles, thoughts, and history, as well as inspirational and enthralling photos of contemporary wood art from various shows around the country.

As a yearly publication, it probably isn't the best venue for serial story telling but, interestingly, Toshio Odate is doing just that with his fascinating story about "Mighty Oak," a tree with an almost six foot diameter trunk. Last year he explained how he came upon and transported it to his property; this year is he covers the process of cutting a six inch slab from its center. I'm guessing that next year we'll learn how he turned it into a magnificent table. It is unfortunate that we need to wait years to learn the whole process but, nonetheless, I love the story and learning about how he translates his deep respect for the tree into his art.

Also, as a semi-continuation from last year is another thoughtful essay by Mark Love. Last year his piece titled Risk discussed how the potential for making a mistake, and losing hours of work, makes furniture making more interesting; this year, in his essay titled Temporary, he talks about how finding an old and forgotten brick mosaic in his backyard related to his career path and the quality of work he now makes.

There are several artist profiles that provide great lessons in perseverance for aspiring artists. Of particular interest is Terry Martin's piece on Todd Hoyer because it is more than biography -- it gives his work context by showing how his biography has been reflected in his sculpture.

I also found the Katherine Adams piece on Christy Oates's furniture fascinating because it provides in depth insight into her process and methods. For instance, it is interesting to learn that her love of origami and her practical need to furnish a small apartment inspired her ingenious wallpaper furniture (a recent acquisition by the Smithsonian Museum of American Art).

Several articles also provide historical stories that help to give context to contemporary furniture; for example, Peter Korn's discussion about the influences of Alan Peter's designs on his own work; the article by Caroline Hannah and Mark Sfirri on Henry Varnum Poor and his close relationship with Wharton Esherick; and Tom Casper's discussion of Henry Lapp's19th century sketchbook.

Overall, the magazine is a well written, full of beautiful images, and educational. It provides a valuable resource for learning both about contemporary wood art, and the artists behind the work, as well as historical information that enriches our understanding of current work. I believe it is well worth buying, even if you don't associate yourself with woodwork, because it provides valuable insight for anyone interested in art in general.

Asheville Trip Part III - Blue Spiral 1

2011-11-23T21:04:00.009-05:00

The third wood art show that I saw in Asheville back in August was Wood Moving Forward at Blue Spiral 1, a beautiful gallery representing southern artists in a sprawling 15,000 square foot, three level space. This show was the most diverse in styles and scale of the three I saw on that day.

Bob Trotman had three larger than life busts of some very emotionally tortured individuals. This piece, Double Portrait of John, was my favorite. I had thought that the cutout sections might be draws so I asked at the desk and they were kind enough to demonstrate that the face could be changed.

Double Portrait of John

wood, tempera, wax, steel

Bob Trotman

By pulling out the large pin in the top of John's head (on the right side below), the eyes and mouth can be flipped. Interestingly, he actually looks more tense with his eyes closed. I like how the metal brace above his eye holds his head together, both physically and conceptually.

Double Portrait of John (alternate arrangement)

Here is the backside of Double Portrait.

Double Portrait of John (backside)

This second piece is also a "John" and I think it is a portrait of the same person on an even more stressful day.

John

wood, tempera, wax

Bob Trotman

This third piece, Jane, looks to me like she is being sucked into the earth but I also get the feeling she might be begging to be "taken with" during the rapture. As with Double Portrait, he has allowed the cracking in the wood to become an element of the piece, reflecting his subject's imperfections.

Jane
wood, tempera, wax, steel

Bob Trotman

I feel like I have spent an excessive amount of time thinking about this next piece, bmn508, by Hunt Clark. If it weren't in the show, I would have posted this review long ago. Amazingly, it seems to be carved from a single block of wood. In addition to the remarkable carving of consistently thin walls all along the irregular shape, I am mesmerized by whatever technique he used to create this piece without significant cracking, splitting, and warping of the lumber. I also find it fascinating how he made it look both natural and perfectly machined -- as if he extruded the wood through a metal die and he simply twisted the wood like it was clay. Further, his abrupt ninety degree turns with such delicate walls seem like they should have broken apart long ago. The whole thing just seems to be pure magic. On one level, I would like to know how he did it, and maybe even watch the process, but on another level, it is nice to know that magic is still possible and that maybe it is better left as a mystery.

bmn508

maple

Hunt Clark

As for the form that he has created, I find it interesting that he seems to be referencing traditional craft objects -- spoons, bowls, ladles -- but that they become twisted into something that is non-functional contemporary sculpture. As I always like to see functional objects turned into sculpture and this is just one more reason for me to like this piece.

bmn508 (second view)

Norm Sartorius also had several pieces in the show that do the same thing, turn craft into sculpture, but with very different technique, style, and scale. Although his "spoons" are clearly not intended to be used, they are created in the same scale as actual spoons, so in that way, they are paying homage to the craft of spoon making as much as they show respect for the trees that they are carved from.

The Emigrant

Afzelia lay

Norm Sartorius

Surprisingly, I find that the more I look at Sylvie Rosenthal's Journey to an Empty City, the more I think about (and try to remember) Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude because I feel it somehow captures the same kind of magical realism he captured (actually, the only thing I can remember from the story is that someone is carried away by ants, but I do remember the feeling of the book and I think this is it). One reason being that this piece seems to be telling a story, but it is a very fanciful story in which a city pops out of the middle of a ram like a picture in a pop-up book. Another being the contrast between the realistically carved ram and the construction of the city that is simultaneously haphazard and well crafted. Taken together, there seems to be both magic and realism. For me, the best part of the piece, though, is how it inspires the viewer to create a story around such a bizarre arrangement.

Journey to an Empty City

basswood, poplar, paint, mixed media

Sylvie Rosenthal

Robyn Horn's Spacial Disturbance is another interesting elaboration on her theme of creating the illusion of fractures and construction out of a single block of wood. I wish I had noticed that the materials included "ink" while I was in front of the piece so I could have looked more carefully at the edges. I assume that she used it to accentuate the "divide" between sections.

Spatial Disturbance

fiddleback maple, ink

Robyn Horn

The shadows she creates with her carvings emphasize the illusion of fractures and assemblage to the point that I'm not sure she needed to highlight it with ink but I'd need a closer look to see if that is what she did (I don't seem to be able to find any ink in the images). One interesting aspect of her design is how the linear carvings contrasts the natural curves in grain patterns. The lovely worm holes in this piece also help to accentuate the dichotomy between the natural material and the machine-like design.

Spatial Disturbance (close-up)

The only furniture piece in the show was this table, Glacier Point, by Gail Fredell. It was interesting seeing this piece after recently seeing her Bricklayer's Quartet at the Fuller Craft Museum. Both have the same distinctive style, but as I look at this one and remembering her other one, I think I'd really hate to put anything on either of them. Yes, they are technically tables, but their function seems to clash with their elegance. I think that people should be okay with buying tables that just meant for looking.

Glacier Point
cherry, painted soft maple, steel
Gail Fredell

And finally, I love the subtle humor and originality of Robert Lyons' turnings with pencils.

Getting to the Point

ash, pencils

Robert Lyons

I also appreciate how he takes an otherwise functional object and combines it with an everyday object to create pure sculpture.

The Mind Has An Eraser

basswood, pencils with erasers

Robert Lyons

After leaving Blue Spiral 1 it was too late to do anything but drink, however, while wondering over to a bar, my chauffeuse and I must have passed another ten galleries; and then, on the way to dinner, we must have past another ten. Clearly, there was way more art in this town than I expected. Although I limit my art writing to wood art, my aesthetic preferences are not at all limited by medium, so I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to wonder through some more venues. Now I know, in scheduling future trips to Asheville, I need to allot more than a single afternoon for art.

Beyond Good and Bad

2011-11-17T22:54:00.003-05:00

Typically, when I make a piece or even when I'm looking at art, I'm always thinking, "Is it good? Do I like it? Why? What is good or bad about it?" I feel a constant process of judgement and evaluation. With my own work, I'm also often thinking whether other people will like it and whether I can sell it. With this new piece, What Is, I had the same thoughts for months. I had roughed out the piece back in March and had it hanging for six months while I ruminated about what my next steps should be.

What Is
shellac on blistered maple
31" x 48" x 1"
October 2011
©Robert Hitzig

My primary question was what to do with the small live edge remaining at the bottom after I had camfer-ed most of it away. In the end I decided to leave it as is because I really didn't like any of the dozens of solutions I came up with, or that were suggested to me.

What Is (closeup)

So I went ahead an painted it with red, yellow, and blue underneath many, many coats of black, as I had originally planned, all the time wondering if the piece was any good or if I was doing anything useful. However, as I approached the end, the point where I felt there was nothing more to do, and as I hung the final piece, I decided that this piece is really beyond judgement. At this point, a declaration of "good" or "bad" is beside the point. I really don't know and, truthfully, I really don't care either. I've take the idea as far as I can, done what needs to be done, and it is what it is. All I can do is accept it and move on. Maybe somebody will like it, maybe someone might even want to buy it, but I really don't expect anything more then it becoming a permanent part of my personal collection.

By the way, I recently bought a used Nikon digital SLR, the D70, and I took these images myself. Because I don't really know what I'm doing, the above images seem too light relative to the actual piece, it is really much more black than purple. Below is another image taken with less light that is closer but probably too dark. Normally, I would care more about the accuracy of the colors but with this piece I don't believe any image would be all that useful any way. My experience with seeing images of black paintings and then seeing the actual piece is that they are generally too subtle to capture in images and this one isn't an exception -- you'll just have to see it in person. Conveniently, it will be on display during the month of December at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, VT.

What Is (normal lighting, normal wall view)

Addendum 1/3/2012: I figured out the key to capturing the correct color is to use lights that have the correct color, which I did with the image below, but now I notice that this latest image doesn't capture the figure in the wood that you can see above. I guess my technique still needs work.

Celebration: A Ten-Legged Decagon

2011-10-03T18:59:00.008-04:00

I just finished and installed a new public sculpture for a two year exhibit in front of the Vermont Arts Council here in Montpelier. It is made with northern white cedar so it will soon have a consistent gray patina over the surface and it won't need any treatment to prevent rot for many years to come.

Celebration
cedar and metal hardware
47" x 152" x 152"
Robert Hitzig

Because I can't draw worth-a-darn, I made a model to get approval from the Arts Council. I had hoped that a five-legged decagon would work, but

when I compared this image with the ten-legged version, I realized that five legs just didn't have much of an impact.

I had also thought that when I installed it, I would arrange some of the legs upside-down or going in a different direction, but I found that wasn't a good idea either. Luckily, the legs are bolted into place and it is very easy to play around with different configuration to find what works best.

The opening reception for the exhibit is Friday, October 7 during the Montpelier Art Walk. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend since I will be in Northampton, MA for the Paradise City Arts Festival. Anyone wishing to see the piece in person can find it on State St, just west of the State House, until late summer 2013.

Update October 5, 2011: I was a bit too quick in putting this post up. It turns out that the installation of this piece in the front of the Arts Council conflicted too much with other sculptures already there so I needed to move it to a tree in the back of the building. It won't get as many viewers but I think it still looks good and it is great to be included in the exhibit regardless of the tree it circles.

Celebration
cedar and metal hardware
47" x 152" x 152"
Robert Hitzig

Exceptional Wood Art @ Art Hop

2011-09-27T21:32:00.003-04:00

This year's Art Hop in Burlington, VT was another successful event, perhaps the best yet. I'm amazed that in a such a small state, someone can organize an art event that includes well over 500 artists, over 100 studios and make-shift galleries, and draw tens of thousands art enthusiasts. I also love how it seems to be such a Vermont-ish event in that it is so egalitarian, everyone one is welcome and can find a space to display work. And artist of all levels do, successful professional artists can be seen right next to novices (many of whom are also very good). You know you won't like everything, in fact, you might not like most of what you see, but you never know what to expect and there are so many surprising gems, works by artists you've never heard of, that it is worth it to endure the marathon march it takes to see a majority of the work (seeing everything is not realistic for normal human beings).

I started on Friday, September 9, at 2:30 (two hours before the start) and finished at 10:00 and still hadn't seen close to everything but, coincidentally, I found the best wood art at both the beginning and end (I returned on Saturday and looked for a couple more hours but still didn't get to every venue, although, I have to admit, seeing all the venues would be infinitely easier if I didn't know anybody).

One of my first stops was Select Design, a brand development company, which always has high quality work in their space. I hadn't checked the show guide because it is too overwhelming to look through so I was completely surprised and very pleased to find that BigTown Gallery, of Rochester, VT, was exhibiting a number of their artists there, including Hugh Townley and Duncan Johnson.

Townleyberrybush

cedar threaded on metal
1960-62
Hugh Townley

Mrs. Crowlady
mahogany on painted base
1998-2006
Hugh Townley

I had previously seen this piece, A Brief History of Haley's Comet, at Hugh's retrospective show at the Fleming Museum a couple of years ago but this viewing gave me a chance to look at it more closely and seen how he constructed it. There are a lot of things I like about this piece, but what I really love is the wormy mahogany at the bottom which I assume plays the role of stars in this composition. The holes are so large that they look like they were drilled out but the lack of tear out along with some horizontal borings make me think that it could only have been done by some very large bugs.

A Brief History of Haley's Comet
mahogany relief
1984
Hugh Townley

There was also this plywood tondo that seems to be some kind of hieroglyphic story which I find indecipherable but I like the contrast between the commonness of the material and the fine craft that was used to construct it. (my image of this piece isn't great because of the lighting but you can view a professional version here).

Tondo 8
plywood relief
2000
Hugh Townley

With Michigan Avenue, it again seems that Hugh is telling a story that I can't decipher, but from the title I can hazard a guess it has something to do with a trip to Chicago.(Again, my image isn't great but you can find a better one here.)

Michigan Avenue
plywood relief
1999
Hugh Townley

Like Hugh, Duncan Johnson's paintings combine inexpensive (actually free) materials with fine craft. As I mentioned in a previous post, Duncan finds discarded wood at his local landfill or nearby construction sites.

What I love most about his work is looking at the wonderful colors people have used in their homes and how it generates so many questions. I wish they all came with a story -- the history of the house, the painter, where the color was used, the families that selected or lived with it -- but with a complete lack of information, my mind is left to wonder/wander all on its own. The colors in this one, Pilot House, I find exceptional, the range of blues, the pink, peach, reds, and then that one lime/yellow below the pink and green blue -- it seems like it was destined for art because I can't believe it ever made any sense inside or outside a house.

Pilot House
found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

Duncan also uses a lot of different size nails in his pieces, meticulously placed along vertical and diagonal lines. There are many more nails than could conceivably be needed to hold the piece together so that they become a form of decoration, bejeweling the wood. By using a range in sizes (I believe including 17, 18, 20, 21 and 23 gauge) they have the effect of giving the pieces a starry quality, especially on a darker piece like this one.

Shepards Gate
found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

With Winter's Weight, and a number of his other paintings, there is an interesting play between background colors and the dynamic, surprising ones. I find that my eyes spend a lot of time on specific colors, jumping around looking for the ones I like best. In this one, I really focus on the pinks and blues. (I had to photograph this one from an angle because of a barrier, you can see a professional image on Duncan's website here.)

Winter's Weight

found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

Filter Fall is a newer piece in which he didn't use any nails (a profession image of this piece is here.)

Filter Fall
found wood
Duncan Johnson

There were also a number of furniture artists in the same show. Lars Larsen and Rolf Kielman, a studio furniture maker and architect team, displayed a few of their production prototypes, with models of the design process, first with paper, then cardboard, then plywood. There chair and table are supposed to assemble without any hardware and can be shipped flat. Very elegant and economical designs.

Lars Larsen and Rolf Kielman

When I first saw this display from Modern Vermont, I thought the plywood sheet behind the chairs was the art and was actually a little disappointed to realize it was the CNC cutouts for the chairs in the front of the display. Again, a very economical design that is jazzed up with the colorful side panels.

Lincoln Brown
Modern Vermont

In stark contrast to the production furniture on display, there was also this intelligently minimalist hand-made curly birch table by Eyrich Stauffer.

curly birch
Eyrich Stauffer

My final stop of the night was RL Photo, where I found Clark Derbes' wonderful wood sculptures. He doesn't use any expensive equipment or elaborate techniques to make them. They are intentionally primitive in their construction (his primary tool is a chain saw) which may result in casual observers overlooking their playful sophistication.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

I needed to include a lot of images of each piece because one would be pointless. You really need to see them from multiple angles to get a sense of what is going on.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

This sculpture, Time Traveler, has twelve sides, cut at random angles, that, along with the recurring geometric paintings, results in an optical effect that dramatically changes the piece as the viewer moves around it. It actually seems to jump between two and three dimensions, and, unlike most sculpture, it gives a sense of being a completely different work when looked at from even a slightly different angle.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

In addition to being optically surprising, the primitive nature of their construction adds to their playfulness.

The Three R's
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Although cleaned up a bit with a palm sander, the chainsaw leaves deep gouges and, to ensure an informality, he rubs dirt in them between coats of paint. The effect is to make them approachable and joyful.

The Three R's
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Standing Room (left) and Elbow Room (right)
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Clark's unpainted Solid Box could probably be mistaken for a bench but given the amount of fun and informality that he imbues in his work, I'd guess that he wouldn't mind if it were used that way. Being that it is made of ash, I doubt you would hurt it and he'd probably like the effects wear would have on the wood (not that I'm recommending you sit on it, I'm a firm believer in the policy of always asking before touching the art).

Solid Box
ash
Clark Derbes

This final piece, Hollow Red Form 2011, doesn't create the same optical effects as the others but it is also clearly made with a playful spirit. It makes me think of a child's toy, but not one of those boringly perfect factory-made toys, rather something constructed by a child in a time when imagination and spirit was all that was need to have fun.

Hollow Red Form 2011

carved and polychrome pine
Clark Derbes

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get this post up early enough to encourage people to make it to this year's Art Hop (most of the work comes down at the end of September) but I strongly recommend it as a future destination. It is a truly great art event in being so open and welcoming to all kinds of people whatever their level of art sophistication or financial means. Anyone, from a child with a tooth fairy's bank roll to a serious collector with a corporate credit card, can find art that they can afford and appreciate for a lifetime.

Asheville Trip Part II - Grovewood Gallery

2011-09-13T21:37:00.005-04:00

On my second stop during my recent Asheville trip, I went to the Grovewood Gallery where they were having A Wood Collector's Home show, featuring nineteen top wood artists from across North America, July 1 to October 2. Although there were a number of artists in this show whose work I saw at the Arboretum show, amazingly, there were a few phenomenal woodturners whose work were only in this show (maybe because they weren't AAW members). As a result I was a little overwhelmed and somewhat jaded by the quality of work by this point so, in looking back at the gallery's website, I can see that I skipped over and didn't photograph work that I would have otherwise covered.

Malcolm Tibbetts is one of the amazing artists I hadn't previously seen. He creates segmented woodturnings but, unlike anyone else's work I've seen, he must assemble, turn, cut, and reassemble multiple times to create these objects. It hurts my head trying to figure out how he did it. They are very confusing puzzles that must require some very elaborate clamping jigs to create. Check out his website to see more amazing work -- he even talks a little about how he made some of the pieces, but, not being a wood turner, it just confused me even more. His two pieces in this show are The Wheel on the Bus and

The Wheel on the Bus
myrtlewood and mesquite on granite base
Malcolm Tibbetts

this intestinally inspired(?) work, Perpetuity.

Perpetuity
carob on granite base
Malcolm Tibbetts

Another segmented woodturner in the show, who I hadn't seen before, is Curt Theobald. He had several of these elegantly turned and sculpted "eggs" on display, giving a modern twist on an ancient form.

Family
laminated and dyed birch, pernambuco, gold leaf, silverleaf
Curt Theobald

And there is Ray Feltz, a third segmented woodturner, who creates these breathtaking life-size eggs with thousands of matchstick-sized segments. His website includes images of his process here if you want to get an idea of how he does it.

Large Ribbon Egg
3816 pieces of blood wood, yellow heart, holly, and tulip wood

Ray Feltz

Small Ribbon Egg

3960 pieces of pink ivory, blood wood, holly, walnut, and lacewood

Ray Feltz

Also in this show was this piece by Stephen Hatcher. The design reminds me of skate eggs, which seem to find their way into a lot of art that I see, to the point that I see them even when their not there. Are these shapes skate egg inspired? I don't know but I like it either way.

Celestial Spheres
maple with translucent crystal mineral inlay, metal acid dyes, lacquer
Stephen Hatcher

Binh Pho's had a delicate vase in this show. I like how the natural red color in the box alder blends with the red paint he used, making it unclear whether the color is natural or painted. On a recent trip to Cleveland I saw one of Binh's cast glass pieces that he made from a piece like this. With all the negative space in one of these vases it doesn't seem possible that it could be cast in glass but I guess what makes great artists great is not being limited by what seems possible because I was told that he spent three years developing a technique to do it.

Nightingales
box alder and acrylic paint
Binh Pho

Nightingales (closeup)

I also ran across a couple of more pieces by Darrell Copeland. I particularly like the addition of a second color and form into this piece relative to the piece I saw at the arboretum. It makes me think that this one is more recent.

Harvest Moon II
cherry and acrylic paint
Darrell Copeland

And another piece by Christian Burchard. The title refers to the area of north Africa west of Egypt, which is new information for me. Perhaps he was thinking that the piece reminded him of wind swept sand dunes but this series always makes me think of flesh. They always feels very personal and very human while at the same time letting the wood be what it is in its most raw form. I find them very mystical in how they draw a visceral connection between people and trees.

Towards the Maghreb
bleached madrone burl
Christian Burchard

And finally, there where two great fish sculptures by Daniel Essig. This first one, a Gar, was in the show but the truly amazing one

Gar
mahogany, maple, mica, milk paint, handmade flax paper, tin, 19th Century books, fossils, shells, bones, insect wings, Coptic and Ethiopian binding

was upstairs in their furniture gallery. I love this learned and wise sturgeon, decorated with miniature hand made books (and you can lift them out of their mortises(?) to open them), sculpted old book page fins, and tons of other historical object it carries along. This species seems to play well with the themes of Daniel's work in that it is so ancient looking, seemingly unchanged for the 200 million years of their existence, much like his use of book-binding techniques that were developed at the beginning of the practice.

Sturgeon
carved and painted mahogany, handmade books, mixed media

And note the skate eggs floating below. Though I liked his piece I saw in the Renwick last year, this one seems to me to be more museum worthy. Hopefully, the right collector will make a generous contribution and, hopefully, the museum will find a way to let visitors open the books.

Asheville Trip Part I - North Carolina Arboretum

2011-08-31T23:12:00.011-04:00

I was in Asheville, NC recently and was able to see three great wood art shows of which I plan on writing three blog post reviews. This first one is on the Fine Art of Wood: An International Invitational Exhibit of Woodturning, May 28 to September 6, at the North Carolina Arboretum. The show was facilitated with the help of the American Association of Woodturners as well as their local chapter the Carolina Mountain Woodturners.

The work in this show was truly exceptional, many of the top turners, worldwide, submitted work and I found it to be a real education in getting an overview of who's who in the turning world. Often when I go to a show I admire a lot of the pieces but there is usually one piece that stands out for me as the most captivating. In this show I couldn't pick a favorite. I've tried to do it but found that the attempt only resulted in a fifteen minute discourse about five or six different pieces.

With that said, this first piece is by the renown David Ellsworth, one of the godfathers of the modern woodturning movement. I like how he labeled the materials, "wood," because if you look at the piece, it just may have been some random piece of rotting wood pulled from an old wood pile, full of holes and mold/fungus but then turned (pun intended) it into an elegant vessel that transforms defects into beauty. The commonness of his material contrasts with and elevates his design.

Homage Pot

wood
David Ellsworth

In seeing the show I was very happy to learn about the work Graeme Priddle, a New Zealand artist who's work has been greatly influenced by Maori culture. The elliptical scars on its body really caught my attention because they remind me of trilobites and, besides being a lover of trilobites, I think they, along with the mat black color (from burning?) give it a real ancient relic look. But I also love the tusk like wood on the sides that utilize the heart and sap wood perfectly. My Asheville friend and chauffeuse for the day said she thought this was the most powerful piece in the show and I think she is right. It is small but conveys something really mystical. I had thought that the title might have referenced Maori culture but in checking with Graeme it turns out that it refers to the largest of New Zealand's tree ferns, Cyathea medullaris (Interestingly, I checked a second time with him to find out why it is called Mamaku Vessel if there is no Mamaku in the piece and he said he just likes the tree so much and wanted to dedicate the piece to it. And having seen pictures of it on line, I agree, it is a great tree. In fact, when I saw the image I had a flash back to a dream I had about 25 years ago, looking down into a valley and seeing what I thought was a forest of beautiful palm trees but I now realize they were Mamaku. I had also thought I was in Pakistan but I now know that the dream was set in New Zealand).

Mamaku Vessel
pohutukawa, mulga, copper, metallic thread
Graeme Priddle

Similarly, Jacques Vesery's piece, Second Sister from the Sky Forest, has a mystical feel to it, as if it is an ancient vessel that was left behind in the forests by a forgotten Indian culture, enveloped by moss or lichen but still retaining its beautifully executed original form.

Second Sister from the Sky Forest
madrone burl, curly oak, mica, acrylic
Jacques Vesery

Undulation by Tucker Garrison is just another of the many pieces in the show that just make you wonder, "how was that done?" I find the most amazing part about this piece being that he was able to maintain the same dimensions of the wood throughout all the undulations.

Undulation
cherry
Tucker Garrison

Andi Wolfe' Tesserae serai is both beautiful and fascinating. It probably isn't total coincidence that it reminded me of a pine cone when I first saw it because Andi is a plant systematics research scientist at Ohio State University and she uses plant biology for much of her inspiration. As she says in her blog post, this piece was inspired by the "microscopic landscape of seed coats." The title of the piece translates to "mosaic palace" and by bleaching the wood, she gave it a palatial feel.

Tesserae serai
Spalted Maple
Andi Wolfe

While looking at this piece by Hans Weissflog, a member of the Carolina Mountain Woodturners, Joe Ruminski, thankfully came over to talk to me about it and help to explain how it was made. The precision of this piece is breathtaking and it is hard to believe it wasn't made by some high tech computer aided lasers or routers, like Rich Tannen's work, but Joe assured me that it was all done on the lathe by hand and with only the aide of interior and exterior molds that he uses to mark the lines. If you can't tell from the image, the concentric circles on the inside and outside are perfectly cut only halfway through and with the same width for each circle.

Half Circle Stars Bowl
African blackwood
Hans Weissflog

In the category of trompe l'oeil sculpture is David Nittman's Raya de Negro. Although it looks like a woven basket, it is actually a wood turning that has been burned and dyed to create the pattern. This and the other piece he had on display at the show were both influenced by Native American designs but his website shows "baskets" that are influenced by African and Middle Eastern patterns. It is interesting that another artist, Lincoln Seitzman, also worked in the field of trompe l'oeil wood turned baskets but that both artists developed a completely different process and style. Who would think that a field so specialized could be so diverse?

Raya de Negro
European pear
David Nittman

In this closeup it is still difficult to tell it is a woodturning. Regardless of whether it is trompe l'oeil or not, the design is beautiful art that stands on its own.

Raya de Negro (closeup)

I find French artist Christophe Nancey's Empreinte to be a variation on trompe l'oeil in that he seems to have transformed his medium into something that looks more like stone. It reminds me of a volcano or a lunar crater.

Empreinte
oak
Christophe Nancey

Another French artist, Alain Mailland, created this great piece (apologies for the poor image), Octopus Garden. It is a good example of how he uses negative space to create weightless pieces that reference both ocean and floral imagery. It is all very organic but also thematic. As great as this piece is, I highly recommend checking out his website -- he has work on it that makes this look like it was made by an amateur weekend turner.

Octopus Garden
Alain Mailland

Binh Pho's Day Dream is a good example of how he integrates light and lightness into his work. It almost seems as if he is using paper rather than wood. I also like how he achieves balance through asymmetry, much like Caulder but not at all like Caulder.

Day Dream
maple, box elder, aluminum, acrylics
Binh Pho

The impossibly thin finials on Cindy Drozda's pieces are stunning. In reviewing her website I found it interesting that much of it is dedicated to her cats but her work seems to be decidedly un-cat friendly in that I can't imagine anyone with a cat being able to live with these sculptures. I guess that is why people make cases.

Metis (leftside)
eucalyptus gum vein burl, African blackwood with 4mm garnet
Green-Conscious (rightside)
masur birch, African blackwood with 4mm chrome diopside
Cindy Drozda

When I first saw Darrell Copeland's Enlightened, I was drawn to the gorgeous color and I loved the texture he carved into the surface (you can't see from this image but they radiate out from an off-center point) but in running into Joe Ruminski I was able to also learn that Darrell used seven colors of paint to get the effect (when I looked again, I noticed the variations, they really blend together well and must have taken a lot of time to create the effect) and that each of the squares are turned to create the concave shapes. It is a very beautiful and unique piece that combines painting and sculpture that is minimalist in form and color but complex in detail and execution.

Enlightened
cherry, acrylic
Darrell Copeland

Although an accomplished woodturner, this piece by Christian Burchard is one of the very few (only?) pieces in the show that didn't have any turning element to it. His work shows a real love of wood because he is just laying it out there -- "simple," raw, and naked. It really exemplifies the concept of wood as art as much as any work that I have ever seen.

A Certain Attraction
Bleached Madrone Burl
Christian Burchard

In 2009 he won the Society of Contemporary Craft's Founder's Prize and as part of the award they he made a video describing his process. I find it fascinating to watch because he shows how much work, and how much life, has gone into making something that looks so simple.

This final piece that I'll highlight is by Douglas Fisher, an artist from British Columbia who carves Native American designs into wood turned disks. His work is an interesting contemporary variation on a traditional art. In this piece I particularly like the off-set circles that frame the design, they give the piece more life, as if you are looking into a creatures eye and it is about to blink closed.

Yesterday is a Long Time Coming
maple
Douglas Fisher

Sawhorse Horses Installed for Art Hop

2011-08-19T21:42:00.007-04:00

I just installed my Sawhorse Horses in Burlington for the Art Hop. They were on display last summer in Stowe, VT and if they don't sell by the end of this exhibit (which lasts until the end of September) they will be installed in front of the Vermont Arts Council here in Montpelier for two years. After today, I really don't look forward to taking them down and reinstalling them (it took about 3.5 hours to put them together) but both locations are great exposure and it will be nice not having to work on them for a couple of years. I also think it would be real groovy to see them covered in snow!
They are in front of the Maltex Building at 431 Pine Street, right across from the SEABA office, and, no, there isn't a train that uses the tracks currently.
I got a pretty good response for them while putting them together, although one guy wanted to know if they were dogs!?! Thankfully, a woman who was biking by a little later stopped to say "I love your horses!" I had to double check to make sure she didn't think they looked like dogs, which she assured me they didn't, so my fragile ego was assuaged.
I like this picture (above) the best.
I had hoped that the wood would have dried out a lot during the past year, and they would have, therefore, been easier to put together, but in storing them in a basement, I think they actually gained moisture since last summer. If they do sell in the next month, I think I'll build a dinosaur of some sort with the same materials for the Arts Council exhibit.

Furniture Divas @ Fuller Craft Museum

2011-08-11T23:56:00.009-04:00

I recently visited the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA to see their Furniture Divas show (on view until October 30, 2011) that was curated my Meredyth Hyatt Moses. I was excited to see the show because it includes a number of my favorite artists and I knew it would also introduce me to great artists that I didn't already know about.

In reviewing this show, I know I'm leaving out a lot of great pieces by great artists but I have focused the discussion on a few pieces that really caught my attention, for purely subjective and often inexplicable reasons. The full list of exhibit artists includes:

Vivian Beer
Polly Cassel
Gail Fredell
Jenna Goldberg
Babara Holmes
Kristina Madsen
Sarah Martin
Wendy Maruyama
Judy Kensley McKie
Alison McLennan
Sylvia Rosenthal
Rosanne Somerson
Wendy Stayman
Leah Woods
Yoko Zeltserman-Miyaji

Although I'm not rating the pieces, if I were to select a favorite it would be this untitled reclaimed lath piece by Barbara Holmes -- not just because of my own personal bias toward non-functionality and cheapness of material, but mostly because of the pure joy and celebratory nature of the upward spirals. One of the nice things about the design is that it is a very organic, it doesn't follow a predictable pattern which makes it look alive as if it is climbing the wall right in front of your eyes.

Untitled
reclaimed lath
2011
Barbara Holmes

As I turned the corner into this room and looked to my right, my first thought was "What fun!" It was truly a very pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Untitled (closeup)

Also in the category of non-functionality this piece by Sylvie Rosenthal, Hope by Hope. I think it is safe to assume its title is a reference to hope chests, which I know nothing about other than what I've glanced at on this Wikipedia page. What I find most interesting about Sylvie's work is that it is pure sculpture that references furniture -- these "chests" don't open and they don't have bottoms. They seem to be calling for letters or notes (of hopes or wishes?) to be dropped into them but they aren't designed to hold anything physical so it really becomes more of a conceptual piece that asks for wishes, desires, or hopes in the form of thoughts. As such, I think it is really a meditative piece, which I believe is more valuable than something that holds stuff anyway.

Hope by Hope
2009
Sylvie Rosenthal

Additionally, in this closeup you can see how well crafted it is. The laths are made with mahogany and I particularly like their random widths, which makes the piece much more interesting. I think the birds are carved into the wood and I feel their presence plays well with the theme of the piece, perhaps in how fleeting and fragile hopes are, that they can easily spooked and fly away at any moment, never to be seen again.

Hope by Hope (closeup)

Another great piece that only has functionality in a theoretical sense (I don't think anyone would ever use it to hold anything) is Wendy Maruyama's A Question of Loyalty. It is made as part of her E.O. 9066 Series (which I mentioned in an earlier post here, in summary, the work references Executive Order 9066 which led to the interment of Japanese-Americans during World War II).

A Question of Loyalty
2010
Wendy Maruyama

The text on the sliding door reads:

Question 27: "Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty whenever ordered?"

Question 28: "Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and foreswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization?"

With the door opened in one direction the answer is "Yes" but slid in the other, the answer in "No." Consequently, the viewer becomes a participant in the questionnaire that I assume Japanese-Americans must have had to respond to prior to their own internment.

A Question of Loyalty ("No" alignment)

Aside from the interesting conceptional aspect of the piece, from a design standpoint, I like the wormy ash that adds a lot of (perhaps metaphorical) character to it. It was made with "Tenafly white ash" which was a very old and esteemed ash tree from Tenafly, New Jersey that has found new life through the work of seventeen world renown artists (read the history and list of artists here). The organization tasked with preserving the tree through its second life as art, and the loaner of the piece to the show, is the Children's Tree and Art Foundation.

A Question of Loyalty (closeup)

Another sculptural piece with tangential functionality is Sarah Martin's Upward Mobility. In reading her discussion of this piece on her website, I learned that it was inspired by a record number of 17-year cicadas in the mountains of North Carolina while she was teaching at Penland School of Crafts.

Upward Mobility
2009
Sarah Martin

I was told by museum curator Perry Price, that each of the draws was a different size, fitting only in one opening, which I found interesting because in looking at the piece I wouldn't necessarily think that they were different. It is always interesting to learn about little things that artists do that only they know or care about. She could have saved a lot of time setting up her cuts to do them all the same and nobody would have known any better or have thought any less of her work, but instead, she took the time to make the draws and openings individually. It is a small but significant indication of an artists devotion to the piece and her craft.

Upward Mobility (closeup)

In addition, I'm impressed with her meticulous sculpting of all these bugs. They look almost as if she had somehow preserved the cicadas and just improved their appearance with gold and stone accessories.

Upward Mobility (closeup)

For functional pieces in the show, I was really drawn to, Gail Fredell's Bricklayer's Quartet. One reason being the fascinating slab of bog oak (a sub-fossilized tree 3,500 to 7,000 years old that was recovered from a bog in England) she used for the table top. I was also captivated by the inventive way she presents it, letting it float and be as natural as possible.

Bricklayer's Quartet
2011
Gail Fredell

It is also interesting how the bog oak's color is natural, no need to use any messy or time consuming fuming technique -- just stick a log in the ground an wait a few thousand years -- Gustav Stickley should have thought it, the result is a much richer color.

Bricklayers Quartet (closeup)

It is a little hard to see in this image but another aspect of the piece worth noting is the inventive way she stabilized the crack on the far end of the table with a steel bar underneath. A far more common method is to use a butterfly dovetail key that would span the crack, but her method leaves the crack completely natural, in all its beautiful imperfection.

Bricklayers Quartet (closeup)

I was also fascinated with this cut at the end of the board with the two small 90 degree angles. I couldn't figure out how she did it but the curator suggested, and I think he is right, that she removed a small section, perhaps rot or a large defect, and placed the section back together. Still, the shape of the cut is mysterious and intriguing, mostly because of the high level of craft she used to do it.

Bricklayers Quartet (closeup)

Another functional piece that captivated my attention is Kristina Madsen's Painted Chest. The first thing that drew my attention is its slightly diminutive presence, which I don't think translates in an image. It isn't small, but it isn't as large as you would expect it to be either. It somehow takes a scale that is unexpected, and in that way, calls attention to itself.

Painted Chest
2009
Kristina Madsen

It is also difficult to tell from the image but Kristina has intricately carved thin lines wherever you see white on this piece, the brownish yellow is milk paint. I find it interesting that she used maple for the case rather than basswood, which most people use for carving because it cuts easy and doesn't tend to tear-out. I'd be interested to know why she chose maple, perhaps because it is harder, and therefore more durable, than basswood but I wonder if it also allowed her to create thinner ridges between the grooves.

Painted Chest (closeup)

In this final image you can see the inside of the chest is lined with silk fabric but you can also get a better view of the fine carving on the outside.

Painted Chest (inside)

It is no secret that furniture making has historically been a very male dominated profession. In retrospect, it is almost hard to believe how, until very recently, exclusively male it was. In fact, I can't think of another prominent female furniture maker prior to Judy Kensley McKie's first museum shows in 1979. I even remember seeing a video of Sam Maloof embarrassingly recounting a story about how, when he first had women ask to apprentice with him (I think in the early 70's), that he had to turn them away because his employees refused to work with them. I know there were women who designed furniture earlier, such as Ray Eames and Charlotte Perriand, but women seemed to be excluded from the shop floor (it makes me think that there may be a good PhD dissertation in researching women in woodworking from earlier eras). As a result, one of the important aspects of this show is in demonstrating how unremarkable gender in the field has become. In just thirty years, women have gone from no recognition to, from what I can tell, equality (and please let me know if I'm wrong). In contrast, it is interesting to hear women in the fine art world still fighting for equality in museum collections and blue chip galleries (Joanne Mattera's Art Blog, among others, often raises the issue) but when I look at gallery and museum exhibits of furniture makers and woodworkers, women are always well represented. More than highlighting gender in the furniture world, this show seems to simply be a celebration that there are so many great female furniture makers working today that their gender is no longer relevant.

Brattleboro Show and New Ribbons

2011-08-03T21:49:00.001-04:00

I am the featured artist at A Candle in the Night, a home furnishing store, in Brattleboro, VT for the month of August and will be at the opening during the Brattleboro Gallery Walk from 5:30 to 8:30 this Friday, August 5. Although a small town, as all Vermont towns are, Brattleboro has a very lively gallery walk with 36 venues in close proximity. The Burlington Art Walk is technically bigger but because its venues are so far apart, it doesn't have nearly the same impact. Brattleboro is also a very cool town so even if you can't make it for this show or a gallery walk, I recommend checking it out if you're in the vicinity.

I haven't had a lot of time recently to make art but in the last month I got in the studio to play around with my ribbon series on a couple of nice thick boards of curly birch that I picked up on my latest trip to the lumber yard. I'll take a few of them down with me to the Brattleboro show but will be looking for other venues to sell them in as well.

I'm excited about using this design to make candle holders and think they should sell well. My personal opinion is that they look great but I have yet to hear what the general public thinks.

I had roughed out eight different ribbon pieces before I realized I needed a mental break so I took this very nice board of curly birch (it has a lot of white spots all around it which I think is an indication of early spalting) and made something linear. One of the nice things about it is it can be viewed from both sides so it can be placed in the middle of a dining room table or other such location (where as the ribbon pieces are really designed for a mantle, shelf, or table/desk along a wall).
I made a number of new ribbon vases at the same time. Although they sell well enough, I know I could sell ten times as many if I figured out a way to make them hold live flowers. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to figure out a way to do what I want sculpturally and also be able to put water in them, so, for now, to appreciate them, you have to appreciate dry flowers. They all can hang on a wall and some of them can also rest on a shelf/table/etc.

These last two vases are for sale at Artisans Hand Craft Gallery here in Montpelier, VT.

I also made a few purely sculptural pieces that I think of as therapeutic in that they are designed to be touched and, by touching them, the view will feel better regardless of ones previous mental state.

Making them got me thinking that it would be nice to do a "Please Touch" show where the public would be invited to touch all the art. I believe people have a strong, innate desire to touch art but that gallery, museum, and artist restrictions (and I'm certainly one to have raised levels of anxiety when I see people touching my shellac work) of not being able to touch it causes feelings of alienation at times. I just think it would be real interesting to do something that played into that natural tendency, maybe even creating pieces that would intentionally change (and improve) the more they were touched. It would be fun.

Return To Newburyport : Dog Walker Reinstalled

2011-06-30T20:07:00.010-04:00

Last week I reinstalled my Dog Walker sculpture in Newburyport, MA after having repaired it from the damage it suffered last Halloween (here is the previous post with images of the damage). In returning there, I was even more impressed with the amazing job the city has done in filling their community with public art. For such a small city, they have a tremendous amount of very good art for people to casually encounter. Between Somersby Landing, where this piece was originally installed, and the bike path they must have twenty sculptures.
As I mentioned in my previous post on this piece, it is no longer my art, but rather an unsolicited collaboration with vandals and, although I really don't appreciate unsolicited collaborations, there were some aspects of the vandals' work that I do think work better than the original piece. For example, I really like how they bent the rear wheels on the dogs so that now they look like they are wagging.
This one isn't as bent but it is still noticeable. I couldn't find another gear shifter for the eye and struggled a while with what to do with it. I haven't decided whether this part is better or not but it does give sense that the robot is winking, which may be good.
And, although I really didn't appreciate having to splice new wood into the body in order to secure the handlebars sufficiently, I like the look of the horizontal wood across the bottom of the splice. Also, though it isn't too obvious in the picture, the repair gave me the opportunity to turn the head just a little to the left to give it a more life-like appearance. The ear repair on the red dog may or may not be a result of the vandals. Apparently, there is a problematic issue of young children liking the piece so much they climb on top of the dogs and hold them by the ears. I secured this one better so hopefully it can be loved without being damaged.
While installing the piece we had quite a few people walk by and complement the work. It was good to see the bike trail is so well used -- on a week day morning with a steady rain we still saw about 15 people in 75 minutes, it must be packed on a nice weekend day. If you want to visit Dog Walker in person it is on the Clipper City Rail Trail between Washington and High Streets with the best entrance located on this Google Map.

Haute Couture en Bois

2011-06-23T22:05:00.005-04:00

Rather than haute couture, Vermont is perhaps better known for a bas couture of Carhartts, flannel, and sensible shoes; however, any Parisian wondering around State Street in Montpelier these days would probably feel right at home after seeing this wonderful installation by Samantha Talbot-Kelly at Salaam Boutique titled, Les Femmes de Bois.

Though high fashion isn't often (or rather, essentially never) on the forefront of my mind, I have a real soft spot for wood art, so these pieces really turned my head and have gotten me thinking much more about women's fashion than I ever thought I would.

First, there is my favorite, Curls, made with wood plane shavings and fashionably accessorized with both a neo-Neopoleon chapeau and what I consider the most useful accoutrement, knee pads--who would think that something so practical could look so good. This piece is perfect for the woman that always wanted curls but couldn't stand to get a perm. Finally, a practical, fashionable, and non-toxic alternative!

Curls
Curls (close-up)

Then there is the most risque, and least practical of the group, She Drips, made with big chunks of bark (I'm guessing cherry, birch, and ash). In this piece the model has become one with the tree, leaving the viewer with the confusing thought as to whether it is a tree that looks like a model, or a model camouflaged as a tree. The striped vertical drips along with the horizonal brush strokes also take it beyond a simple fashion statement to something that could stand on its own in any modern art museum.

She Drips

She Drips (close-up)

And then, the most elegant of the group, Zip It Up, again made with wood plane shavings. It is probably the most conservative of the group in that I wouldn't be surprised seeing someone walking down State Street in it but still fashionable enough that a woman would feel comfortable on the Champs-Elysee. I would put it in the category of sensible haute couture. Personally, I think that hat should be a hot item. I'd be surprised if Samantha doesn't already have a huge back order of them. I'm happy to donate some wood shavings if she doesn't have the time to create her own. Imagine it is striped walnut and maple, or cherry and ash -- oh shit, she's already got me thinking about designing women's fashion . . .

Zip It Up

Zip It Up (close-up)

And finally, Strips, also made with chunks of outer bark and strips of the inner bark. Perfect for a woman who wants to wear fur on a hot summer day but hates the idea of a militant PETA activist spay painting her $10,000 outfit. Natural, vegan, cool, and sexy, this outfit really has it all!

Strips
Strips (close-up)

Now if Samantha would just come up with some designs for men, I just might be seen in something more fashionable than my Patagonia pants (which, by the way, are the most perfect pants ever made in that I have yet to find a place where they would not be appropriate).

Unfortunately, this installation is only up until June 30 so anyone wishing to see it will need to schedule a trip to Montpelier soon. It is much better in person but I also have to warn you that single men who stand in front of the display for excessive periods of time, studying the work, looking at it from various angles, and just generally staring, can be mistaken for perverts (I should have taped a sign on my back that read "Art Critic").

Bien fait Samantha!

(apologies for the excessive french in this post, I'm getting flash backs of West Africa and sometimes you just need to go with it.)

Jon Brooks Retrospective @ Currier Museum

2011-06-14T15:41:00.007-04:00

Walking into the Currier Museum's Jon Brooks retrospective, A Collaboration With Nature, the first thing you see is this chair; it is a style that has made him famous in the studio furniture world -- light, natural tree-like forms recreated into functional and sculptural objects.

Abijah Crosses the Piscataqoug Dressing Chair

figured walnut, maple, enamel, color pencil
2001

But then you go back in time to the beginning of his career, starting with his work as a student at Rochester Institute of Technology's School for American Crafts where he was a studied under and worked for Wendell Castle. I found the process of looking at the evolution of Jon's art absolutely fascinating. I hadn't been familiar with his early work and was surprised to see how different it was from what I had known of his art.

Starting with these two pieces he made as a student in 1966 all the way up to 1984 there is a definite consistency in how he would make pieces.

Homage to Brancusi
elm
1966

With only a few exceptions, the work was sculpted from a single piece of lumber.

Blue Table

elm and acrylic

1969

Most all of this work also uses as much of the natural form as possible, like this Throne, cut from the base of an undulating and wild pine tree.

Throne

pine

1970

Or this chair, carved from a single piece of walnut.

Franklin Chair

walnut

1971

And especially this Pacik Chair that still incorporates a stone that lodged between the roots as the tree grew around it.

Pacik Chair

walnut tree root with stone inclusion

1977

In all cases, however, even when he would use multiple pieces of wood and combine multiple species, the work was very heavy. Thick boards, big bases, massive, almost immobile forms.

Full Moon Under Carolina Pine: Penland

Pine, walnut, ebony
1979

Although Jon wasn't using any of the stack laminate technique that Wendell Castle is famous for, the weight and size of his work reminds me of Wendell's and it is hard to believe that as a student and shop assistant of a great and famous studio furniture designer that Jon wasn't influenced by his work, as in this chair that seems to be a reinterpretation of Wendell's Molar Chair.

Greg Mill Elm Chair

Elm

1980

But, though I like this work, and he was obviously successful with the style, I don't think it is great.

Coat and Hat Rack

pine and oak

1980

Although each piece is definitely unique, an original design that wouldn't ever be replicated, I don't think the overall technique or style is particularly unique. Although I can't say where or by whom, it feels like I have seen others making similar things.

Connie's Piano Bench

walnut, pine, cherry

1982

While this work pays homage to the nature of trees and forests, their weight is somewhat inelegant. They are spiritual in concept but earth-bound in execution.

Dot and Jay Lamp

Hemlock, walnut, maple

1983

Ironically, one of the last of this part of Jon's career is this ladder, a form that in reoccurring through out his later work but in this incarnation, though it is trying to reach for the heavens, it is weighed down by gravity, dead-ending into a wall.

Pathless Resistance

sugar pine, walnut

1983

But then something really amazing happens. Jon had a few residencies in Australia and New Zealand in 1983 and 1984, and when he returned to New Hampshire his work changed dramatically. One of the earliest examples of this transformation was in these ladder-back chairs. With them, he is still using natural forms of the wood in the pieces but his work suddenly becomes much lighter. It reaches for the heavens in a way that gives a sense of being a path to the spirit world. It isn't vainly reaching upward any more.

Styx Ladder-back Chairs

maple

1985

He also began developing a unique method of joining lumber in both his sculptures and furniture. As with these dog sculptures, he started taking branches or saplings (probably harvested form his forest covered property in New Hampshire) and forming the pieces into natural looking forms re-envisioned into mythical creatures and designs. It is an interesting process because he is able to take scraps from a forest and create art that is both minimal and sturdy. The result is something that looks like it was plucked directly out of the woodlands while being minimally invasive to the ecology of the forest.

Georgia and Alfred
1991

I love the playful polka dots on Georgia and Alfred. I didn't see any other examples of this type of decoration on his other pieces but I think it abstractly captures the nature of the dogs he is sculpting.

Georgia or Alfred (close-up)

Conceptually, the new work is the same as his earlier pieces. They are natural looking forms seemingly cut, as is, from a single tree, but at this point in his career he started creating something absolutely original. Nobody looking at it would ever associate it with any other artist and any other artist who attempted to imitate it would be cursed with being constantly reminded of how it is derivative of Brooks. With this series, Jon was able to create a body of work that is defined by him, like Albers with squares; Serra with steel walls; and Mondrian with anything that is Mondrian-esque.

Dodge Hill Dressing Chair

sugar maple, walnut, acrylic, color pencil, lacquer, oil and varnish

1997

It also seems that his joining and sculpting technique led him to incorporate painting into his art, perhaps as a way to cover the joints and make the piece look like one whole, organic, object. And, by covering the joints with paint, he created a canvas to incorporate dots, scribbles, and symbols to the surfaces which in turn takes the work to another level, beyond furniture and into something that is as much fine art as it is fine craft.

Everglades Cloud Table
maple, curly maple, acrylic, color pencil, lacquer, oil and varnish
1998

Everglades Cloud Table (close-up)

This work is simply exquisite. Some of it is functional, some is purely sculptural, but it is all completely original fine art.

True Loves Blue

curly maple, acrylic, color pencil, lacquer, oil and varnish

2000

True Loves Blue (closeup)

Gallery View of True Loves Blue and two Ranfred Dining Set Chairs (2005)

But what I particularly like about his post 1984 work is how spiritual it is. It seems to come from a different place, that Jon is somehow channeling another world.

Angel Dog Table
maple, walnut, acrylic, color pencil
2004
photo credit: Bill Truslow

I find it just so interesting to see how an artist would suddenly go from good to great because of how he was able to find and incorporate a new influence. I think it is also very instructive in that artists need to look for new experiences and not be content with previous and preconceived concepts.

Citron Altar
(this piece was in the museum show but the photo was taken at Gallery NAGA in 2010)
curly maple, sugar maple, acrylic, stain, varnish, lacquer
2009

Citron Altar (close-up)

In 2010 Jon's work took another change in direction, though not as dramatic as in 1984. As a result of a tragic fire that engulfed his workshop and taking with it all his tools and much of his personal collection (I think I heard that some it had just been finished for this museum show), he seems to have incorporated scarification and burning, as with this new chair, Mouvinon (which looks like it might be a french word but I think is pronounced "Movin' On"), that was finished just as he began the installation of the show.

Mouvinon
Quilted maple, maple, black birch, yellow birch, and beech 2011

As with much of his work, this piece has a life of its own. It isn't just a chair, but a character that, in addition to sitting on, you could sit next to and have a conversation with. There is also a definite continuity with his Citron Altar, but Mouvinon has a heavier feel in its texture, color, and the flat-footedness of the legs. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to see that much priceless art, equipment, and personal history taken away; but as with any great artist, he is clearly channeling the experience into his art and using it as inspiration to take his work in new and interesting directions. I am anxious to see how Jon's work continues to evolve because, as tragic as the event was, I'm sure his work will ultimately benefit from it.

Mouvinon (close-up)

Photography Note: I should have contacted the museum ahead of time to get permission to photograph the show because halfway through the guards told me that I couldn't take pictures. I took a couple clandestinely anyway but was only able to get images of much of Jon's later work by having the museum email images to me later (I noted the photographer of the studio images when I had the information). Even though the professional photographs are great, I still prefer to use my own images because they seem to have more of the information I'm looking for. Oh well, now I know, get a press pass before going to a museum show and avoid paying the entrance fee as well.

Totally Endearing

2011-05-18T22:23:00.010-04:00

When Meg White, co-director of Gallery NAGA, told me about Tommy Simpson's show, Totally Tommy, and showed me images of his work, my first thought was "Totally ADD" because this is clearly the work of someone who is in constant motion. Each piece has required a phenomenal amount of work and, rather than being the work of rigorous planing, it seems to be pure stream of consciousness. To make work like this an artist has to be an uncontainable ball of energy.

Work the Soil
2010

As with these chairs, every piece is constructed individually. There is no economy of scale, no repetition of parts. All the rails, stiles, and spindles are unique, everything is carved, and then there is all the inlay and decorative carvings, not to mention the words, phases, and poems that are also cut into the wood.

Work the Soil (closeup)

Tree of Life
2011

Charms
2007

Moon Milk Eyes
2010

But once I got past the energy of the pieces and started looking at what he was doing, I could see the focus and purpose of the work. The words, hearts, flowers, and whimsy of the pieces are all expressions of exuberant, uncontrollable joy.

Moon Milk Eyes (close-up)

Just look at this table made with big-leaf maple burl. It has an absolute insane amount of in-laid decorative objects throughout. Stars, hearts, birds, flowers, butterfly joints, circles, and abstract designs. It seems you could spend hours looking at it and still not appreciate all that is in it.

The Path
2010

It is so difficult to make a living as a studio furniture maker that they need to be careful planners, precisely calculating how they spend their time. In contrast, this is furniture done by someone who hasn't done ANY calculus regarding the monetary value of his labor. Nothing about it indicates that he has done any analysis regarding how much each inlay would be worth for the final price of the piece or how much more he could get if he sculpted a flower verses leaving a part plain. Although Tommy has an MFA from a prestigious school and has work in a number of major collections, his work retains a raw nature that is similar to folk or outsider art. Contradictorily, his work is still very refined in its execution. His joinery, inlay, sculpture, and lettering are all made with absolute precision.

The Path (close-up)

The quantity of inlay in this table is pure exuberance. Anybody who wanted to make money making it would have just cleaned it up and filled any gaps with finish or epoxy, possibly adding a couple of butterfly joints. This is a table that seems to be made for the simple joy of making and expressing.

The Path (close-up)

Likewise, Tommy's has inventively created sculptural joinery that is equally functional and aesthetic. The best example being this door, Doora - It Swings Both Ways. In both the top and bottom panels he has created unique designs that work as well as dovetail joints but that also work as stand alone sculpture.

Doora - It Swings Both Ways
2009

In this close-up you can see how well made (and conceived) his "head joint" is.

Doora (close-up)

What really comes through in Tommy's work is an immense sense of joy and love through the imagery, but especially through the words and poems he integrates into the work. One of the strongest pieces in the show along these lines is Intimate Beats, a mixed wood non-functional ladder that includes a poem carved into the rungs:

Intimate Beats
2004

Intimate Beats
Held In Comfort
Reach Tender
Thoughts
Giving Me
The Joy Of
Your Being

In the catalog, next to the piece, there is also the poem:

Contemplate a mountain red,
Trees upon a yellow head,
Think of good and jolly times,
Stomach pie,
Eyes of Pine,
Think of skies wrapped in twine,
wishing you a kiss of mine,
Remember this,
my Valentine.

There are also a few pieces in the show that are mysterious in that they reference things that aren't obvious, thereby drawing the viewer into their secrets. This cabinet, Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without, is a good example. The title is carved into the rails of the doors but I've had a hard time determining its relationship to the rest of the piece that includes a wooden bird, a bird etched into the glass, a bird house hanging from a large peg,

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without
1992

an ear carved into the outside,

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without (close-up)

and a bell on the inside.

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without (close-up)

Maybe birds are very fugal beings, or maybe they seem to be whispering this proverb to Tommy through their songs, or maybe the two things are unrelated and Tommy just likes birds. It seems to be a puzzle but maybe it is just an unanswerable abstraction meant to evoke thought rather than answers. I don't know, but it is interesting either way. (Actually, I just came up with the theory that birds might represent freedom and that frugality leads to a freedom as well, in that, not needing "things" lets one do what one loves - which Tommy is clearly doing. I still don't have a guess about the meaning of the bell and the ear.)

On Tommy's Frisky piece you can again see his inventive joinery. This time he has made a heart/dovetail joint.

Frisky
2010
Frisky (close-up)

On the largest cabinet in the show is Touching Blue - Touching Brown. Tommy has carved and painted the casework so that, even though he hasn't used any of his classic inlay style on it, his busy hands still envelops every bit of surface.

Touching Blue - Touching Brown
1997

I like the inventive latch that he made, and the designs he carved into the hand,

Touching Blue - Touching Brown (close-up)

as well as the cool hinges - they function well but their aesthetics seems to be just as important.

Touching Blue - Touching Brown (close-up)

My favorite of Tommy's sculptural pieces is ERrOrS, an obvious double entendre (it is wonderful how Wikipedea makes up for a lot of sleeping during Greek mythology lessons), with the words "The House of ERrOrS" carved into the sign at the bottom and "OOPS" coming out of the chimney. Though, perhaps what draws me to it is that it reminds me of Brittney Spears' song Oops! I Did It Again, a song that I had totally dismissed as the epitome of trite pop tripe until Richard Thompson recorded his own version, which somehow makes it seem so sophisticated and deep (and, just for fun, I highly recommend taking some time to listen to 1952 Vincent Black Lightening - pretty much required whenever the topic of Richard Thompson comes up).

ERrOrS
2011

And finally, there is this bed which, regretfully, I somehow forgot to photograph (so I lifted the image from the gallery's website). I particularly like the refined sculptures on top of the posts, but what really makes the piece is the poem carved into the headboard:

Valley of Love and Delight
1984

Tis a gift to be simple
Tis a gift to be free
Tis a gift to come down where you ought to be
And when you
Find yourself the place
Just right
You will be in
The valley
of
Love and delight

On the foot board it reads:
Seek seek and ye shall find,
knock knock and the door shall be open

I believe the show was called Totally Tommy because it encompasses the broad range of his work -- furniture, sculpture, ceramics, paintings, rugs, drawings, poetry, and jewelery (and I'm probably leaving something out). It is a remarkable display of the wide range of media Tommy works in and works well with; but what makes Tommy Simpson's work great is how totally endearing it is.

Collaborating With Vandals

2011-05-09T22:11:00.004-04:00

Sometimes a work of art is so compelling that people can't help themselves from interacting with it. Sometimes people are so inspired that they are driven to the point of leaving their unsolicited ideas behind. The Dog Walker piece that I completed in 2008 as part of Montpelier SculptCycle must be one of those pieces.

Dog Walker
October 2010
Newburyport, MA Bike Path

The city of Newburyport, MA purchased it for display along their new bike path but they kept it in their harbor sculpture park until the path was completed in the summer of 2010. Unfortunately, it only lasted at its new location until November 1, 2010 because some art enthusiasts decided it needed a little more work.

Dog Walker
November 2010

I have been in communication with the city since the event and thought that they would be able to make the repairs, however, the damage to the section where the head of the walker fits was too extensive, so we decided that it would be better if I spliced in some new wood.

I look forward to making some alterations. It was a good piece before but now is an opportunity to give it some character -- war scars that will make it even more interesting.

Dog Walker
May 2011
Back at the studio - Montpelier, VT

In addition, I even get some gas money to make a couple of trips down to Boston. Coincidentally, when I went down to pick it up I met the artist B. Amore who told me she had the same thing happen to one of her pieces (twenty years ago?) in the same town (or vicinity?) on another Halloween night.

By the way, check out those glue lines --
more than three years outside, in New England, and
absolutely no separation. Titebond III is the best!

I just have to say, I feel honored that my work has inspired someone (or two!) to be more involved in the arts than they might otherwise have been. It just goes to show how important the arts are; these people could have been running all over town causing some real trouble.

Absolutely Brilliant

2011-04-20T18:37:00.011-04:00

I'm not a big Facebook person. I never would have joined if not for my brother and I've never been a significant participant, though I check it occasionally. But then I found this Christy Oates video through a Furniture Society link and now I have finally come to realize that Mark Zuckerberg has created something with more cultural importance than being able to sporadically see nephew and niece pictures/videos.

E-waste Marquetry Project from christy oates on Vimeo.

I look at a lot of art and though I often see things I like, what I find really special about looking is finding that rare piece that is so spectacular that it totally captivates my attention. This is one such piece. A perfect combination of traditional craft with modern technology; fine art and craft; human vision and computer precision; found objects with meticulous planning; and, most interestingly, it brings together conceptual art with aesthetic art. Like Rich Tannen's Tray in Maple that I saw last year at a Furniture Society show, it could not be made without computers but it still retains an elegance that can only be created with intense human design and oversight.

I think it should also be seen as a multimedia piece. The video is as much a work of art as the final product. Had she simply written a paragraph explaining the process it would not be as fascinating. The video does so much more than explain, it gives the work context.

Being completely captivated, I email Christy to get some details. So that she isn't inundated with the same questions, here is what I learned:

-- The video compresses only 40 minutes of the assembly but putting it together actually took 35 hours; she spent another 40 hours setting up the files for laser cutting and the entire process took about 120 hours over three months.

-- There are 145 pieces in each section, the first section was mirrored, then the pair of sections rotated 9 times create a total of 18 pie-shaped sections. There is a total of 2610 shapes in the entire piece. The smallest shape is 1/16” square.

-- This is a non-functional piece of fine art (looking at her other videos, it is a question that you have to ask).

-- It is finished with Watco's danish oil.

-- She used epoxy glue and pressed the veneered pattern, a thick paper surround, and a backer to a panel of mdf using a vacuum bag. The white border you see in the picture is a picture-framing matboard which is also laser-cut to fit the perimeter of the piece. It just lays on top of the substrate and hides the paper surround. She will be making a frame for it to hang on the wall.

As more background, Christy recently attended Wendy Maruyama's prestigious studio furniture MFA program at San Diego State University and has already garnered a number of prestigious awards. Most prominently, she has been included in the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery 40 under 40 exhibit (July 20, 2012 to February 3, 2013). Although she just finished the piece last week, it is already spoken for. After seeing the video, the Renwick Gallery curator decided to switch one of her furniture pieces out so that they can display this piece. Hopefully, they will also find a way to display it with the video. I look forward to seeing it in person and posting more images.

Absolutely Brilliant!

Much Better Now

2011-03-24T16:34:00.008-04:00

After finishing The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in January, and getting it photographed, I was disappointed with some of the color matching between my work and the actual test pattern. In addition, I realized that having two inch thick blocks in the middle section was too distracting --- so, I took it apart to add some color and take 1/2" off the middle blocks.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
36" x 49" x 1.5"
March 2011

Since I photographed this one myself, the quality of the lighting and the photography isn't as good as the first one but you can see that the yellow, red, and blue are much closer to the actual test pattern now. The green is also better but I think the lighting makes it look the same as before. I didn't add anything to the blue green panel and don't know if the lighting makes it look lighter or if I took some color out in the repolishing process.

Official Television Screen Test Pattern

Here is the original. I'm happy for now. Hopefully, I'll sell it before I have a chance to take it apart again.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
36" x 49" x 2"
January 2011

Holly Tornheim @ Baltimore ACC Show

2011-03-21T21:50:00.008-04:00

There were a number of great wood artists at the Baltimore American Craft Council Show but I've decided just to discuss the work of my favorite, Holly Tornheim, or else I'll never get it posted.

I was anxious to see her work in person after seeing her Unfolding Wave sculpture on the cover of a 2010 SOFA catalog. She creates small wood sculptures that are remarkable for both their extreme beauty and technically difficulty. From what I've seen, she often employs sharp edged curves with a recurring theme of both gentle and cresting waves. Though her sculptures stand on their own, she often takes advantage of spectacular lumber like quilted maple and claro walnut to further highlight her designs. At other times, she uses wood that is completely void of figure and grain pattern so that the viewer only sees the form she created.

As with this walnut tray, some of her work is functional but most of what she brought to the show was purely sculptural.

claro walnut tray

This piece, Meander, is playful in that it invites the viewer to rearrange the blocks to create one's own design. It seems to be a very therapeutic piece. I think it would help to create tranquility in someone who took the time to rearrange the work. Very zen.

Meander
holly

The sharp edged curves in this piece remind me somewhat of Sam Maloof's work but, unencumbered by functionality, she is able to take the form to another level.

quilted maple

In showing a wide range of versatility, Holly also creates trompe l'oeil sculptures, like Memory (below). It feels very emotional to the point where it is almost disrespectful to not lingered in silence for a bit.

Memory
spalted maple, yew, African blackwood, holly

And I especially like the contradictions of Black Vessel, black v white, abstract v figurative, contemporary v primitive, functional v purely sculptural, symmetry v asymmetry (I see symmetry but mentally I'm expecting asymmetry). Visually it is very simple but intellectually it is quite complex; you want to think you are looking at some kind of animal but the more you look the more unsure you are of what you are seeing. What is it made for, should you put jelly beans or spare change in it, or is it made for a sacred ritual, or just to observe. Should you touch or just look? Can you play with it? It is interesting how much thought it can evoke. Personally, I think it should be used for a sacred ceremony, perhaps one in which the gods are offered jelly beans.

Black Vessel
holly, African blackwood

And finally, there is this interesting abstract curly maple sculpture that looks like it has gift wrapped itself. I like the interaction of geometric shapes with the amorphous curves.

curly maple

Baltimore American Craft Council Show Debrief

2011-03-06T15:14:00.008-05:00

Finally, a decent show after a very disappointing 2010. I don't like to judge a show on floor sales alone but it is always good to come home with less than I left with. This show was also a good opportunity to connect with art consultants and interior designers who I wouldn't expect to hear from for many months later and I could also tell that there were many more serious collectors than I typically see at a show. Though it is a very stressful event, being both physically demanding (standing and talking for at least eight hours a day, six days straight) and emotionally draining (worrying about all the logistics of a show along with the financial concerns) it is something I feel I'll have to do again in order to build on the exposure. Serious collectors don't like to buy work from an artist they just met and developing those relationships is an important aspect of creating a financially self-sustaining art career.

Booth Shot - February 22, 2011

The big surprise for me was hearing the reaction of the public to Green Chimneys. I really didn't know what to expect and was completely shocked that it was by far the favorite piece in my booth until I sold it on Friday. I have no idea why, and would rather not try to analyze it (if ignorance inspired me to create it, ignorance will inspire me to make something better), but it is encouraging that I should explore my wedge series further. A number of people asked if I could make another one if it sold. Although I can understand the request, it isn't something that I feel comfortable doing. The idea of replicating a piece just isn't very appealing and I'm sure I'll be both disappointed and bored with it. I'm much more interested in seeing what is next and how the series evolves. In thinking about it since the show, and after playing around with some scraps I have laying around, I've decided I want to do something with double-sided wedges. I'm sure they will be much more interesting and fun than retreading paths I've already been down. The show also piqued my curiosity as to what the public's reaction will be to my most recent wedge, Carolina Spring, which I didn't bring with me for packing and display limitations.

I also (finally!!!) sold Frozen Flame after having listened to literally hundreds of people tell me how much they loved it over the last year and a half. I really couldn't understand why it didn't sell but some pieces tend to be like that, much praised and unpurchased, while others seem to move unexpectedly and without much fuss. I know it wasn't priced too high, perhaps it was too low. I don't know, the sale of art and the reactions people have to it are a complete mystery to me. As an added benefit, it was purchased for public display at Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics.

In addition, I sold an older piece, Eleven Rectangles w/Blue, as well as all three of the new birch ribbon sculptures that I brought with me (pictured on the right side of my booth). Although I know I could easily continue making and selling pieces in the ribbon series without much modification, I need to explore ideas about taking to the next level to keep it interesting. I want to bring one with me to CraftNewYork so I decided to add some walnut veneer fractures, similar to the recent Forever Holiday piece.

On other news from the show:

One woman stopped by my booth, looked briefly at the work, turned to me and said only "Don't give up" before walking away. I don't think I was looking particularly despondent at the time, so I take her reaction to mean that she thought I was heading in an useful direction and should keep on plugging away at it. I'd be interested to learn whether she stopped by other artists' booths and told them "Give up" in a similar manner.

One well know magazine publisher was adamant that I needed to create shelves and small tables to go with the work in order to help right brained people understand how to display my work. I listened, engaged this person in a discussion, but decided it would be counter-productive. I get enough people asking about making tables, counter tops, and floors (god forbid floors, that would be the least useful thing I could do) without confusing them more with shelves.

One woman entered my booth and couldn't stop smiling. She particularly liked 45 Rectangles but she said they all made her smile.

I was surprised to only count eleven people who said they hadn't seen anything like my work before. At smaller shows I'll typically hear that from around 20 people. Perhaps they felt insecure, as if they should have been more knowledgeable in seeing someone else doing something similar.

One woman, in looking at my prices, said "This one is only $1000!". I told her I could charge her more if it made her feel more comfortable (and no, I didn't make the sale). Yes, I think the work is under-priced too but until there is a significant demand and I have a smaller inventory, what can you do?

I was very impressed with the new American Craft Council Executive Director, Chris Amundsen, who took the time to meet and talk with every artist at the show that he could. It wasn't in a meet and greet rushed manner either. He methodically worked his way, booth to booth, and casually talked with each for an extended period. I must have talked with him for a total of 20 minutes (he caught me twice because I was standing by someone else's booth at one point). He either picked up the pass later in the show or resolved to start at the other end next year because at just 10 min/artist it would have taken him over 14 days to finish. Of course, when he asked for ideas or suggestions, I can't be blamed for pitching the idea that my work be featured on the cover of the magazine. I'm sure he stopped asking well before the end of the show because he likely would have heard the same thing a few hundred times. It may be self-serving but I still think it is a good idea.

Two people I didn't know complemented me on my new eye glasses. I must have done a good job in picking out this last pair. I was trying to find something that made me look like an artist. With the last pair I tried to do the same but one friend said they made me look more like an arts administrator. I think this pair projects more of a risk taking personality without making me look crazy.

I collected 56 email addresses.

And, last but certainly not least, the show was a great opportunity to meet a number of great artists and talk about their work, most notably a number of wood artists that I'll cover in an additional post.

More New Work and New Titles

2011-02-04T15:55:00.007-05:00

Here are some more images of new work. This first one is a continuation of my wedge series, being my forth. For what ever reason (perhaps the sub-zero temperatures we are experiencing in Vermont right now), the red in this piece reminded me of the redbud tree buds you see while driving around the North Carolina country side in April, hence the title. It was made by laminating a sheet of walnut veneer between two 2" thick boards of curly maple so there is a fine black line between the two sides. It hangs flat against the wall by resting on a cleat that sits inside a mortise.

Carolina Spring (left side)
shellac on curly maple and walnut
29" x 4" x 9"

Carolina Spring (right side)

The title of this piece is based on what I think is its celebratory feel, looking almost like confetti falling down. The maple is about the whitest I have ever worked with and is a dramatic contrast to the almost black of the walnut (hence, the different colored background). The thin diagonal lines running across the maple is a walnut veneer that I glued vertically between the maple quadrilaterals. It rests on a cleat that off-sets it one inch from the wall.

Forever Holiday
shellac on curly maple and walnut
41" x 25" x 1"

Along with the pieces above, I had professional images taken of work that I completed a couple of months ago. I retitled the one below (mentioned in a earlier post) A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration because I decided that my work is much better with poetic titles rather than descriptive ones. The line came to me when I heard that Nelson Mandela was recently hospitalized and I thought, how sad, but an instant latter I thought, but he is 92 and we should be more happy about the life that he has led than sad he is nearing the end. It is a lot of pressure making work that has to live up to the titles but it is also better that the title add something to the piece than for them to just be an afterthought.

A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration
shellac on curly birch and curly maple
52.5" x 32" x 1"

I also retitled this piece (mentioned earlier here) Green Chimneys, for the same reason. It is named after a Thelonious Monk tune because I feel it has a musical feel that is somewhat similar to the unexpected notes he would play. I also like how there is "green" only in the title, adding a little mystery to the piece.

Green Chimneys (right side)
shellac on curly maple and cherry
49" x 20" x 4"
Green Chimneys (left side)

Now that I have these pieces out of the way I'm trying to finish another ribbon (from this series) in time for the Baltimore ACC show at the end of the month. I went to the lumber mill last week and picked up a beautiful board of curly birch, 9" x 3" x 10'. I was planning on picking up a thick board of cherry but what I found was a third the price and much more interesting. I'm excited to seeing what comes of it.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Finished

2011-02-01T13:10:00.009-05:00

Over a year ago I posted an idea I had to recreate the color TV test pattern as a wood sculpture. Well, I needed a full twelve months to think about it before making my first cut but I've finally finished it.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
shellac on curly/bird's-eye yellow birch, bird's-eye maple,
curly maple, blistered maple, and walnut
36" x 49" x 2"

The colors are very difficult to reproduce with shellac but, hopefully, I got close enough that the viewer is reminded of my inspiration. I like the idea of transforming something so common and hideously ugly into beautiful art -- a challenge in both concept and execution.

The title, of course, comes from that great Gil Scott-Heron song/poem, linked below (for a second time) for your listening pleasure:

In finishing this piece, I finally figured out how to make the Baye Fall sculpture I've been thinking about for two years. Now, if I can just find someone who wants a spectacular 6' x 6' x 2" wall piece, I may just start it.

2011 Winter/Spring Show Schedule

2011-01-11T17:09:00.004-05:00

As far as I'm concerned, there is only one good reason to leave Vermont, and that is, to sell art. Though it is a wonderful place to live and make art, it is truly a shitty place to sell art. Hence, I have again scheduled out-of-state shows for the winter/spring season so people unable to make it to my Montpelier studio can see my work. For your convenience, I will be at the following venues:

Baltimore American Craft Council Show, February 24 - 27 (Booth 3301)
One of the biggest and best shows in the country. Around 700 top level artists from all over the US and Canada. I will also be participating in the wholesale show on the 22 and 23 because it is attended by several hundred galleries and should help with developing relationships with some established retail venues. I'm going to have to start marathon training to get ready for the six days (eight hours plus per day) of standing and talking.

CraftNewYork, April 1-3
I was a little hesitant to commit to this show because of the expense and the fact that it is a first year show at this location, but the promoters have many years of experience running shows in New York and have a huge mailing list, in addition, I know the show includes many great artists that I'm more than happy to be associated with. At the very least, I look forward to getting a good blog post out of writing about other wood artists at the show. Hopefully, I'll also find some time to checkout some Chelsea galleries.

Paradise City Arts Festival - Northampton, MA, May 28-30
This is always a good show. It is guaranteed to have good attendance and the attendees seem to be particularly appreciative of my work.

I have several exciting new pieces that I'm trying to finish up for these events and will post images in a couple of weeks.

Belated Praise

2010-12-21T09:08:00.004-05:00

Back in September, during the Burlington Art Hop, I came across these two great wood sculptures by Waterbury (Vermont) artist, Nori Morimoto, Volcano, made with bird's-eye maple and Wave, made with ash.

Volcano
bird's-eye maple

With Volcano, he has created a landscape that is both natural looking and other-worldly. It reminds me of a moonscape or perhaps the surface of a distant planet. Bird's-eye maple was a good choice for this type of sculpture because the "eye's" really stand out, adding extra texture to the surface. I'm sure he sandblasted the surface to get the effect and, based on a similar piece on his website, I believe he ebonized the left side by burning it. The quality of the bird's-eye maple is exceptional. Any woodworker would have loved to have gotten a hold of it, so it is great that it wasn't turned into a boring piece of furniture.

Volcano (close-up)

I find Wave to be aesthetically interesting and technically confusing. I love the contrast between the light/dark and the waves/blocks; the randomness of how it alternates between waves, blocks, straight lines, and gaps;

Wave
ash

that there are enough gaps on the right side to see the wood grain underneath; and the lack of fastidiousness, that imperfections are part of the art.

Wave (close-up front)

But what I guess I find most interesting is mystery of how he created the waves. I have one idea but I don't really think it would work and I'm torn between wanting to know and thinking it would be better to just be mystified.

Wave (close-up right)

Upstairs At The Renwick Gallery

2010-12-13T16:31:00.005-05:00

Upstairs at the Renwick Gallery there is always more great work on view (which I visited after viewing A Revolution In Wood), some rotating, some on permanent display. My favorite of the permanent work is Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock (1985). The label says they acquired it in 1989 but the first time I noticed it was in the mid-90's (maybe '96 or '97?). It was placed between a couple of display rooms in a foyer-like space so it was particularly difficult to recognize as art. The only reason I noticed it was because the guard called me back after I past and told me to take a closer look at the label, which read simply, "bleached and stained mahogany." Still in disbelief at what I was seeing, he told me to look behind it (being placed in the center of the room, I was able to do this) and up from underneath to see a spot where the "sheet" and "clock" are connected. It has since been moved to a more recognizably art location, probably because the guard got tired of calling people back to take a closer look, and it now has its back to the wall so you can't get behind it, thus you'll have to take my word that there is a tiny spot (and only one tiny spot that you need to get on your hands and knees to see) where the deception is revealed. Update November 21, 2011: I was at the Renwick a couple of weeks ago and noticed it has since been moved back to the center of a room, so you can now inspect the entire piece to your hearts content.
The perfectly carved wrinkles, puckers, and dimples make it particularly deceptive. In addition, on past viewings I've felt that he somehow was able to sculpt the weave of the thread into the wood but on this last visit I finally realized that the open grain nature of mahogany creates the effect of giving it a thread count.
Also upstairs, as part of their rotating exhibit, was this piece by Christian Burchard, Basket Series (1997), made with madrone. He likes to collaborate with nature in creating his sculptures and these are a good example. It looks like he charred them to get a black interior. The brown exterior and the naturally warped surface gives them the look of leather and help the viewer to recognize that these objects came from a living thing.

It was interesting to see that Christian's piece was donated by John and Robyn Horn and across the room was this piece, Slashed Millstone (1996) made by Robyn Horn. She is in an elite group of collectors that are also great artists. I find her work interesting in a number of ways but in particular I like how she uses wood to create sculptures of stone. It is a little humorous really, but it also makes sense, you can't really make a sculpture of stone in stone without it being the object rather than the sculpture of the object, and other media (clay, metal, glass) would look too contrived or artificial. Wood, on the other hand, provides its own natural irregularities that mimic metamorphosed sediment. This piece is made with ebonized redwood burl.
It was also good to see Binh Pho's work. This piece, Journey to Destiny (2003), is made with oak, maple, gold leaf, acrylic paint, and dye. I saw a show of his work in one of his galleries over the summer and learned that he still works a full-time engineering job, which seems impossible given his level of art production and the intensity of his work. He must not need or want sleep.
And finally, there was this piece by Daniel Essig, Book of Nails II (2003), made with a virtual short story of materials -- mahogany, various metals, hand-made flax paper, velvet, linen thread, mica, trilobite, leather, paint, stains, and epoxy. It caught my eye because it reminds me of Janet Van Fleet's work with its use of nails and books. Too bad the museum has a case over the piece preventing visitors from handling it; the book would be interesting to close to see what it looks like with the nails surrounding the carcass and feeling their hard edges. It is very intriguing, a lot to look at, play with, and think about.

A Sampling of the Bresler Collection

2010-12-05T17:16:00.014-05:00

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I stopped into the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery to see A Revolution in Wood: The Bresler Collection. It is an exhibit of sixty-six world class turned and sculpted wood art pieces generously donated to the Smithsonian by Fleur and Charles Bresler.

This first piece is Table Bracelet (1997) by Michelle Holzapfel is made with birch, maple, cherry, and brass. It was created as part of a series in which she made jewelry for the home and included a seven by eleven foot wall mounted Spiral Necklace. I like both the humor of the concept and the scale. I guess all art can be seen as jewelry for the home but the overtness of this work makes the idea more clear. I also like how it humanizes in animate objects and helps you to see them as worthy of adornment. Why not buy jewelry for a table, or chair, or even a whole building?

David Ellsworth had a few great pieces in the exhibit, including Mo's Delight (1993), a beautiful futuristic spheroidal sculpture made with curly white oak (left) and Sundown Pot (1995), an equally beautiful but more minimalist turning made with curly maple (right).

His radically different piece, Patan (1991), was also in the exhibit. It is a naturally warped vase that has been charred and brightly painted. For what ever reason I expected this piece to be pretty small after having seen an image of it on a recent cover of AmericanStyle magazine, so I was surprised to find it is actually around 18" high.
Here is the backside. Nothing subtle about it and the exhibit text said that it caused a big uproar in the turning community -- a type of "Dylan goes electric" moment. As a lover of Dylan's electric work, I think this was done with equal success. Sometimes people just need to be shaken up a bit and unexpected art is a great way to do it.
This is Stoney Lamar's Self Portrait (1992), made with box elder, a wood that I love for its light color and streaks of pink and red. I don't know Stoney, so shouldn't guess as to how or why this is a self-portrait, but I gather from the piece that he is a little off-center with both rough and refined edges.
Edward Moulthrop's maple Donut Bowl (1990) seems to beg to be touched.
Mike Shuler's Satinwood Bowl #458 (1989) is made with satinwood, bloodwood, amaranth, and finished with a shellac french polish. I'm a little confused as to where or how the amaranth was used in the piece, whether as a seed or the fiber was somehow integrated.
Mark Sfirri's Rejections From The Bat Factory (1996), made with mahogany, cherry, curly maple, zebrawood, cocobolo, and lacewood, also display's a great sense of humor. He uses a multi-axis turning technique to make them. Conceptually, I understand what that means but the result is still magic.
This trompe l'oeil Petrified Sewing Basket (1995) was made with cherry, wenge, and imbuia by Lincoln Seitzman. The piece makes me wonder what drew him to making a basket out of wood or why he thought he could do it. The result is a remarkable "reproduction" of the woven inspiration.
Galen Carpenter made this unique vase, 96-4 (1996), with cristobal and chipboard. It is interesting how he combined a rare and luxurious tropical wood with a very common, inexpensive, construction material to create an unexpectedly elegant piece. The chipboard gives it a painterly effect that seems much closer to a glazed piece of pottery than a wood turning.
Bud Latven's Integration (1992) is made with maple and African blackwood. It is interesting to see one of his early pieces which gives some perspective and hint of the direction he would take in making his absolutely insane current work.
Norm Sartorius is famous for his unusual art spoons and there were four of them in this exhibit. The three that I was able to get good images of are Mutation (1999), made with Mexican blue oak burl (bottom left), Obsession (1998), made with maple (top left); and Spear Spoon (1997), made with African blackwood (right).
I had no idea that there was a whole craft/sculpture sub-genre of art spoons until I read Norm's article on Norman Steven's spoon collection in Forum (July 2010), the Collectors of Wood Art newsletter. It is very much like the craft/sculpture sub-genre of art teapots. In both cases artists use a functional object as a starting point to create objects of beauty that only vaguely reference their conceptual origins. These are endearing small sculptures, allowing something elegant to be created out of small pieces of wood that would likely not otherwise have a use, other than for its BTU value.

The exhibit will be on view until January 30, 2011 and is very much worth the full viewing if you are in the Washington, DC area. However, regardless of when you may be in DC, the Renwick Gallery is always worth a visit. It is my favorite museum and they always have great work rotating through their permanent collection on the second floor. Below is a video made by the Smithsonian to give an overview and background of the collection. The best line is at the beginning when Fleur says that "You get a flutter in your heart, and when you get it you'd better buy the piece because you're gonna dream about it." Yes, don't argue with your response to art, just buy it!