This Is What A Masterpiece Looks Like

Though readers of my blog will agree that I tend to be effusive about work I like, even so, I'm not cavalier with the "M" word. In fact, I have never previously used the word in this forum; however, on my most recent trip to the Renwick Gallery I looked at Kim Schmahmann's Bureau of Bureaucracy closely for the first time and realized how special it is.

Bureau of Bureaucracy 

various hardwoods, veneers, marquetry, mother of pearl, gold leaf, and brass,
with french polish shellac finish

96" x 36" x 24" 

1993-1999 

©Kim Schmahmann

I'm not sure why I skimmed over it so many times previously. Perhaps, because of its classical design and impeccable construction, it deceived me into thinking it was "just" another reproduction; or maybe I realized it was a masterpiece but was overwhelmed by the thought of analyzing it; or, maybe I was just overwhelmed by all the other great art in the space and was too distracted to spend the necessary time with any one piece (I sometimes wish curators would stop putting so much great art in museums); but on this visit Bureau had been moved to the center of a room, giving me a chance to see the back side for the first time and really forcing me to spend more time looking at it.

Bureau of Bureaucracy (rear view)

As I looked, I was fascinated by the symbolism that was obviously everywhere, but difficult to decipher. Luckily, immediately after spending time studying it, I walked into an adjoining room where the museum had a video running of artists talking about their work and, coincidentally, Kim was talking about this very piece, giving me a chance to finally learn about the conceptual aspect of the work.


Thoughtfully, Kim has developed a brochure that also discusses some of the features of Bureau, so it isn't necessary to just happen upon the video in order to understand what he has done (the link to it is here). As a result, I don't need to reiterate what he has already documented. If you look it over though, I guarantee you'll be impressed. You will also understand why it took six years to complete.

While looking at it, I was intrigued by the two small door panels (covered with paper collage) in the lower section next to the curly maple file draws. You can barely see them in the top photograph, and there was no way to read them in the museum (without getting thrown out or arrested), but I hoped that by taking digital images I could read them at home by blowing them up (I was about 75% successful).

Bureau of Bureaucracy

(top door panel on lower level)

It appears to be a series of documents associated with Kim's life in South Africa during the time of apartheid. It includes his Identity Document (in which he is classified as a white person in accordance with the Population Registration Act of 1950); some appropriately bureaucratic language about losing South African citizenship if you take the citizenship of another country; a couple of letters associated with his education, one of which, written "To Whom It May Concern" says that he is a part-time student taking Monday evening classes (dated in 1974), perhaps because there was a curfew and he would need to present the document to be out at night; and additional sections which are either too small or in Afrikaans.

Though it is mostly hidden and almost impossible to decipher, I think this panel is really the heart of, and the inspiration for, the entire piece. Only a series of traumatic and unfortunate encounters with a well organized but absurd and authoritarian government, such as one would have living in an apartheid South Africa, could cause someone to dedicate six years of their life to transforming the concept of bureaucracies into a work of art.  

 

 Bureau of Bureaucracy

(bottom door panel on lower level)

The panel on the lower door seems to be made from a collage of documents mostly associated with his time in the United States.  In the center are the rules for the ancient game, Snakes and Ladders, that Kim modified and incorporated into Bureau (image below); A letter of acceptance from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture regarding a presentation at a conference; a letter from the US Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service; a letter of acceptance for Kim's submission to the Taunton Press for their Design Book Six; a certificate from the Boston Architectural Center; and one additional document I can't make out at all.

 Bureau of Bureaucracy

marquetry Snakes and Ladders game board

(image taken from Kim Schmahmann's website)

One last image I'd like to include is a closeup of the top section. In it, you can see the fine symbolic marquetry (that is explained in the pamphlet) that Kim used to create the door on the left (which covers a series of symbolic drawers). On the right is a model of the reading room at the Library of Congress.

 Bureau of Bureaucracy (closeup)

Bureau is unequivocally a great piece, but I think it really goes above and beyond most other great art because, in addition to being both impeccable in design and astounding in execution, it is, most importantly, a deeply personal piece in which Kim obviously poured his heart and soul with absolute dedication. Thanks Kim!

Baltimore Show Debrief

I just got back from the Baltimore Fine Furnishings and Fine Craft Show after an all night drive (we left at 6:45pm and arrived in Montpelier at 4 am). It was a first year show so it was pretty much a gamble for everyone involved. Unfortunately, although the quality of the art was high, there were some problems in bringing in the people. Saturday was extremely slow; Sunday was better but still not what it needed to be. Most people were disappointed but seemed to realize that it is especially hard to get people to come to first year shows and that future years would probably be better. I didn't hear anybody say they wouldn't be back.

Personally, I didn't make any sales but that wasn't the primary goal anyway. I was looking for exposure and connections. The response to my work was good and I talked to at least three people that were either dealers or friends of dealers who were interested in passing along information about my work. If just one of those conversations leads to something, the show would be worth the time and effort. I'm sure it will take several months to find out if it pays off so I remain hopeful. At the same time, I was surprised there were not more dealers and collectors at the show.

I also had a number of interesting conversations, including talking with James Adajian, co-owner of a fine furniture restoration, conservation, and reproduction firm - Adajian and Nelson. We had a good conversation about french polishing and SDA 3C shellac solvent (it is what the pros use). As I suspected, SDA 3C 200 proof is a much more aggressive solvent and it makes french polishing more difficult. I just need to improve my technique, its still doable, just need to have a softer hand (update: James had recommended using upholstery cotton inside the cloth ball used in french polishing and it does work much better than the old cotton t-shirts I was using. It is much softer so touching down and lifting off the board much gentler). I also learned that french polish was traditionally done on table tops and that they still do it. It does get damaged but so does any other type of finish you could use, but the french polish is much easier to repair. Traditionally, people would just schedule a refinisher to come by the house every few years and renew the polish.

Here are three images of my new 5 x 20 booth. It was quite a lot of work to build and put together but I think it worked well. I'll modify it slightly for the 10 x 10 space at Paradise City in a few weeks. The good thing about not selling anything is that I still have my best work for that show. I find you can't have enough lights. I had 17 for 15 pieces of art and still could have used two more. I also think the paint color worked well. I chose "Anonymous" from Sherwin-Williams. It is about as neutral as you can get, a dark greenish-brown gray. If figured it would help the colors pop and I think it worked.



My favorite work at the show was by Katherine Park. She creates these amazingly complex and original surrealistic sculptural furniture. Although it is museum quality (in design and craft) she is still below the radar. I didn't get a chance to interview her and find out more about her history, but you can see from her resume that she hasn't shown much and that she isn't currently represented by a gallery. It looks like she has taken a break and is just getting back into promoting her work. Amazing stuff though. She has an undergraduate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and a masters from the Rochester Institute of Technology School of American Crafts - and it shows.

"As the Deer Pants for Water" and Untitled (clock)
©Katherine Park

"As the Deer Pants for Water" (close-up)
©Katherine Park

"The Kingdom will Come" (writing desk)
©Katherine Park

There were also a few people at the show who were showing off beautiful wood in its almost natural state. Both Jeffrey Oh and David Stine had enormous slabs of walnut. They both also used butterfly key joinery to stabilize cracks -- Jeffrey with contrasting/highlighting bird's-eye maple protuding from the surface, David with flush walnut butterflies. Wood is art and both of them did a great job of highlighting its natural beauty.

Jeffrey's slab is Bastogne Walnut, an extremely rare natural cross between California Claro Walnut and California English Walnut. He got it from Talarico Hardwoods and said he hasn't paid for it yet, the purchaser can pay for the slab directly from the retailer and Jeffrey will add his time into the cost. The purchaser can also decide what he wants to do with the slab - table? counter top? wall sculpture?. He said it sells for $100/board-foot or around $4600. Pricey stuff but truly amazing.

Bastogne Walnut
©Jeffrey Oh
Bastogne Walnut
©Jeffrey Oh (close-up)

David Stine's walnut slab is about 9 feet by 4 feet and comes from somewhere in the 360 acre wood lot he manages sustainably from his family's old dairy farm. He harvests, mills, and kiln dries the lumber himself. This table has a convenient whole in the middle so that you can pass scraps to the dog without sliding your hands under the table. The base is made with knock down pegs so it is easy to move around as long as you are comfortable swinging around 150 lb slabs of lumber. David is a big guy and it is clear that he is using woodworking as a substitute for going to the gym.

Lowder Table
©David Stine

Next to my booth was Corwin Butterworth Custom Furniture. His work wavers through the Asian/Shaker/Mission aesthetic. I particularly like his Asian influenced pieces, like this "Four Post Chair". A really great design. He said it was influenced by the rear seats in the Suburu Brat. Apparently, it had handles for the passengers to hang on to like this chair.

"Four Post Chair"
©Corwin Butterworth

Also at the show as Carl Schlerman's company Crimson Asphalt. I especially like this combination of concrete, ash, and spalted maple. Talk about solid furniture. The whole thing probably weights between 350 and 400 lbs. At the same time the tappered legs and slopping top give it a very elegant and welcoming form.

©Carl Schlerman

FAQs (and their answers)

In preparation for the Baltimore show, I decided to write up a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) to help visitors understand my work more completely. In other shows I have gone to, I have found it almost humorous to hear the same series of questions over and over, almost in the same order. It is often impossible to give complete answers without boring visitors to death so I figured a handout would be helpful.

How do you get your colors?

I seal the wood surface with many coats of clear shellac before painting with tinted shellac. It is not a stain. By reworking and mixing the colors as I build them up, I create natural looking colors with gentle gradations.

How do you get the high gloss finish?

I use a technique of applying shellac called “french polish”. It involves rubbing the surface with a ball of cloth filled with shellac, alcohol, and oil. When done correctly, a microscopic layer of shellac is laid on the surface as the alcohol dissolves the previous layer. The technique was developed by a Frenchman in the early 1800’s and was widely used on furniture into the early 1900’s. However, due to the laborious process it has been widely discarded in the furniture world for easier finishes like sprayed on lacquer, polyurethane, and rubbed on oil finishes. It is still used by specialty finishers on very high end furniture, typically 19^th century reproductions. Ironically, although a french polish is very difficult to create, it is much easier to repair than other wood finishes.

Do you use aniline dyes?

No, I use modern lightfast dyes made under the brand TransTint. They have very accurate primary colors and they retain their color much better than traditional wood dyes.

What is shellac?

Shellac is a natural resin secreted by the lac bug on tree bark in southeast Asia. It is edible and is even used as a covering for candy and pills. Unlike other wood finishes which cure after they are applied, shellac retains an ability to dissolve in its solvent (alcohol), allowing it to be reworked and repaired as new layers bind with existing layers as one single layer. In addition, its unique clarity creates a magnifying glass on the surface of wood, making every grain highly visible.

How many coats do you apply?

It is impossible to say for a number of reasons –

- I often remove layers before applying new ones.

- I don’t use the same concentration of shellac throughout the process so one layer may be several times thicker than another.

- Each pass with the cloth in the french polishing process is technically a layer (on a microscopic level) and there may be hundreds of passes.

- Different sections of a painting may have different numbers of layers.

- The process is done in stages over an extended period of time.

On the back sides I apply at least five coats of heavy shellac.

How long does it take to make one piece?

Typically, I work on a piece for several months, three to five is average. About twenty percent of my pieces have two dates on them, the first one is the date is when I originally thought I was done (or wanted to be); the second is when I went back and modified it (often six to twelve months later).

How does one care for a shellac painting? How durable is it?

Shellac paintings are comparable to encaustic (wax) paintings in terms of durability. There are no special actions that need to be undertaken to care for it. Occasional dusting with a feather dusting is all it should need. The polish and colors are archival, but as with any painting, it should not be placed in direct sunlight. In addition, shellac will soften at high temperatures so things placed on top of them can leave impressions in warm weather. When transporting shellac painting, I like to wrap them in flannel sheets; however, when shipping them in summer months I crate them so that nothing is touching the surface. The high gloss french polish finish should never need to be retouched but if damage does occur to the surface, I can repair it fairly easily (scratched wood is more problematic but still repairable). In addition, if I am not available, a furniture restorer competent in french polishing can also repair the surface.

Can you make me a table (or other functional object)?

Theoretically yes, but . . . I believe that wood is art and that it should be appreciated for what it is rather than what it can “do.” I would rather spend my time making fine art than functional objects.

What art school did you go to? Where did you learn this technique?

I am a self-taught artist. I started making furniture as a hobbyist in the mid-90’s but slowly became more interested in the natural beauty of the wood than the functional things I could create with it. The techniques I use are based in traditional woodworking methods. Although I have not taken a formal art class (since 8^th grade) I am constantly studying art informally.

Is your work in any major museums or collections?

Not yet, but I’m always preparing for a MoMA retrospective.