e-mail
me
phone: (707)
762-6106
Furniture that tells stories.
Can you touch a gently rounded edge and feel the soul of the craftsman that created it?
When a special wood has a history does that impart a feeling to a viewer?
These are the questions posed by this furniture. Attention to details, elegant proportions, harmony in grain selection give the wood a voice, that communicates, speaks.
The maker
20 years of wood working experience, at 44 it seems like my whole life. The last 9 years spent in my Petaluma shop. Following in the footsteps of fellow craftsman I studied under 80 year old, legendary, Swedish master cabinetmaker Jim Krenov for two years. And now through my own classes and seminars I hope to pass on this tradition of learning.
A starting point Materials
Quality woods from around the world are searched out, either becoming the inspiration for a piece of furniture or the perfect solution to a design problem. The history of collecting, harvesting, traveling, to find these woods becomes part of the story of each piece of furniture. From Europe a log of pear wood is imported to the United states, dusty and old it is traded among cabinet makers. Down the road a hundred year old hatchery is demolished a few timbers are saved. These individual logs are stored, assessed, evaluated, and finally cut to be used with their unique character celebrated and fully exploited. Not just wood, forged hardware from a small company, crafted as fine as jewelry. Antique glass with waves and imperfections, is salvaged from an old junk yard. Finishes chosen to fit the use or estectics. From a delicate French polish on inlay, or conversion varnish to make a table top perfectly durable.
The work
The designs neither completely modern nor traditional. The aim is time tested elegance and proportions, the best of the past with an fluency in the modern. For example joinery is exposed to show the hand of the craftsman. These old joinery techniques look fresh when seen in the light of mass produced products. Inlay and Marquetry, old world skills, have become a specialty that is brought up to date with selection of modern graphic art subject matter.
My shop is a converted chicken coop in farmland north of San Francisco,California. On summer days The windows open and swallows will fly in and out. During the winter the fireplace roars eating all the wood in the scrap bin.
The Finished Product
Purchasing work takes place through galleries or directly working with each client. The process of commissioning a piece involves collaborating on designs, interpreting the ideas through discussions, into rough sketches and finally finished drawings. Wood selection, finish samples perhaps a visit to my shop are all part of the fun.
The hope, upon delivery, is that the furniture goes beyond speaking and sings.