Absolutely Brilliant

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!

Historical Woods Show @ Furniture Society Conference

While wondering around the Furniture Society Conference a few of weeks ago, I came across this interesting exhibit of work by a number of famous furniture makers using trees from historically important American sites, many of which have documentation of being planted by the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and others. For example, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter in 1807 in which he mentioned planting a tulip poplar in the exact location that a dead tulip poplar was removed from in 2008 and, hence, used for many of these works of art.

The exhibit, titled National Treasures: History in the Making, is the vision of William E. Jewell who co-curated the show with renowned wood artist Jacques Vesery, and has been organized by Historical Woods of America. In addition to the great furniture artists that were featured in this show, sculptural works were also made by renowned artists Binh Pho, David Ellsworth, Mark Lindquist, and Robyn Horn as well as Jacques Versery. Images of all these works are included in a very nice catalog which can be seen here.

This piece by Wendy Maruyama, titled Fractured, is part of her E.O. 9066 series, a references to the executive order President Roosevelt signed allowing for the internment of Japanese Americans. The piece is made from Thomas Jefferson's elm tree and references the fragmenting effects, both emotional and physical, of the historic event. I think, knowing the background makes it a more powerful piece, but on its own it is just really cool. I like the original nature of having the doors slide at different angles, allowing the user to create different works of art by moving them around.

Fractured
12" x 85" x 15"
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Elm
Wendy Maruyama

Fractured closeup

Silas Kopf created this Founding Father's Writing Desk and Thomas Hucker created a complementary writing chair, Dearest Sally, both with Silas's marquetry. The desk appears to have an initial draft of the Declaration of Independence with the line, "We hold this truth to be self-evident," and "this truth" is crossed out to be replaced by "these truths". The chair appears to have a letter hidden on the lower level and folded over with only the words, "Dearest Sally" revealed. These are both classic examples of the humor Silas often imbues into his work.

Founding Fathers Writing Desk
30" x 52" x 20"
Silas Kopf
and
Dearest Sally
32" x 20" x 20"
Thomas Hucker
both made with George Washington Whiskey Distillery Walnut
w/fifteen different historic woods for marquetry (by Silas Kopf)

Thomas also created this pair of side tables on his own. It takes the concept of pie crust tables and makes them completely contemporary. As with the writing desk chair and many of the pieces on his website, bringing traditional designs into contemporary life is something he often tends to do.

Washington Side Tables
24" x 16" x 24"
George Washington Whiskey Distillery Walnut
Thomas Hucker

Brian Newell created this scroll case because of the importance of documents to the founding of the nation and he made it out of wood associated with James Monroe and James Madison, at least in part, because of their importance in creating many of the countries early documents. The top of the case has carved calligraphic fragment lettering (difficult to visualizer from this angle).

Scroll Case
7.5" x 6.5" x 21.5"
James Monroe Boxwood and James Madison Cedar of Lebonon
Brian Newell

Garry Knox Bennett's work commonly features odd juxtapositions and this chair, made with Thomas Jefferson tulip poplar and Formica ColorCore™, is no exception. He used a Rietveld Zig Zag chair design because of its distance from the Windsor-style chair and added a writing-arm because Thomas Jefferson supposedly had something to do with adding them to Windsor chairs. It is a completely modern piece and, I think, pretty optimistic because it forces the viewer to look toward the future.

Post Windsor Writing Chair
30.75" x 21" x 28.25"
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Tulip Poplar,
ColorCore™ , PVC, paint
Garry Knox Bennett

Michael Cullen's intricately carved chest is a celebration of what George Washington called "the first nation in history that is based on an idea, and the idea is one of essential human dignity and justice." Using walnut from Mount Vernon, he carved the entire outer body of the chest, including the bead work on the top and included numerous symbolic references to the thirteen original colonies as a way of conveying the original ideas upon which the country was founded.

A Chest for a New Idea
30" x 27" x 11"
Mount Vernon Walnut, George Washington
Whiskey Distillery Walnut, milk paint
Michael Cullen

William Jewell also included a couple of his own pieces in the show. They are made with saguaro cactus skeletons from the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation and have a historical significance of a different nature through the witnessing of many transformations within the Tohono O'odham culture. Their inclusion in the show adds a cultural twist and his use of saguaro cactus skeletons adds a unique sculptural element that is both mysterious and beautiful (note: saguaro cactus is a protected species and a permit is needed to harvest and transport them (dead or alive) out of Arizona, as stated here).

Connected
36" x 22" x 22"
Jarrah Burl (Australia), Saguaro Cactus Skeleton (Sonora Desert)
William E. Jewell

Balance

38" x 88" x 16"
Figured Walnut (Virginia), Saguaro Cactus Skeleton (Sonora Desert)
William E. Jewell

Jenna Goldberg's "Wallflower" at Gallery NAGA

With the Furniture Society's annual conference being in Boston June 17-19, I made a special trip to the big city in order to see the furniture displays that were part of the conference as well as those in venues coordinated with the event. I'm going to be busy writing blog posts over the next few weeks about what I saw.

This first one is on Jenna Goldberg's show of new studio furniture, Wallflower, at Gallery NAGA. Though the show was planned long before the conference, the overlap was fortunate and the gallery was kind enough to hold a reception on Thursday night so attendees could check it out. Three years in the making, the show is a stunning combination of Japanese influences. The furniture forms are subtle backdrops to the dynamic surface work but also clearly derivative (note: this is a non-pejorative use of the word) of Asian design while the intricately painted and carved surfaces that are inspired by kimono and obi (i.e., a kimono sash) patterns.

On entering the gallery I was surprised to find a couple of stand alone wall pieces. As it turns out, they can have a functional purpose, being sized as headboards for queen size beds, however Jenna also told me that these are an initial attempt to test the waters for creating non-functional wall art. As a big fan of non-functionality, they are my favorite pieces. I also like the use of gold and silver leaf in this first piece. It gives it a shimmer that really is reminiscent of the Japanese textiles that inspired the work.

Red Dahlia Headboard
36" x 66" x 2"

Arabesque Headboard
48" x 68" x 2"

The title of the show is likely intended as a pun. The work is obviously full of flower motifs and much of the work hangs on the wall, however, Jenna also describes herself in the catalog as shy and reserved, a bit of a wallflower herself. There is also a large amount of irony in the sense of the term "wallflower" contrasting with the exuberance and intensity of the show.

Jenna used basswood as a canvas for her paintings because of its ease in carving and the light, consistent color. It allowed her to add texture and contrast to the paint that is real unique. Though I've seen painters carve into their paintings to add texture and reveal underlying color, I don't think I've seen anyone use their canvas as part of the painting in this way.

Bush Clover Cabinet
38" x 22" x 14"

Here are a couple of close-ups.

Bush Clover Cabinet close-up

Winter Harvest Cabinet close-up

The cabinets are also intricately painted on the inside as well, though not carved, creating a surprise when they are opened.

Chrysanthemum Cabinet
38" x 22" x 14"

The work is uncompromising in its ambition and execution; from design, to construction, to painting, then carving -- Jenna hasn't skimped or looked for an easy way to completion. Each step has been laborious but the result is both spectacular and daring. Being that the last step is carving the elaborate designs, I imagine there might have been a bit of trepidation in taking her gouge (a chisel designed for scooping) to a finished painting, however, her cuts are confident and clean.

Autumn Lotus Cabinet
38" x 22" x 14"

It is really intense work. The number of carved lines and the level of concentration and patience it takes to realize are exhausting to think about, let alone accomplish.

Dahlia Cabinet
76" x 33" x 19"

Asterisk Cabinet
75" x 49" x 17"

The show also include a few small tables.

Mountain Flower Tables
20" x 26" x 20"

Kabloom Tables

21" x 26" x 20"