Custom Challenges
12/17/24
This past November I held an open house in my workshop and had a wonderful time talking to a number of people who took the time to come visit and speak to me. I am truly fortunate to have so many people whom support me and my business.
I get a feeling of whiplash at times like this. When I started this business I was prepared to be a starving artist for the rest of my life. I have worked in a variety of different fields, but mostly those involving craft. I could have given up long ago in search for a more stable and predictable career
My business, as it is today, really has to lend credit to so many people whom have supported me through these starting years. My work, my craft, and my life would not be possible without each and every person who has supported me.
I get to make a living by doing what I love best. Profit or no profit, I will be here designing and building furniture for years to come.
7/25/2023
A short time ago I finished up this twin sized bed frame. It is a modular design with removable rails. This was a specific request from the client, but is something that largely falls into my philosophy of design and craft. I am enthralled by multidimensional objects. When a piece of furniture can operate as a sculptural object it provides a depth and appreciation to a wider range of persons.
In the recent months I have been working hard to develop my accordion style in an attempt to blend functionality with flexibility. The Accordion Vase is the first of this product line.
Whether you are an experienced designer or a novice in the field, it is easy to identify a bad design. In my experience, it tends to be an interaction on a functional level. No matter how interesting or cool a new type of coffee maker is, if it has a tendency to spill or drip more than a standard one, you can expect to find me using a standard one.
To simplify what I mean: I enjoy designing sculptural objects without functional compromise. The joy in designing comes from a healthy blending of concept and reality. I want my furniture to feel malleable and alive.
5/23/2023
This week last year I installed my senior thesis into it’s forever home in Ohio. As I am writing of this, the custom credenza is still the most complex design I have completed. Hundreds of hours in hand planning and hand cutting dovetails left me sore and appreciative of modern tools at my everyday disposal.
I am currently back in Ohio at the same location to help build a shed for the same client. Both the framing project and seeing the credenza make me reminisce and think about my past and the work I used to do. I worked as a rough framer for a few years before getting interested in woodworking. It made me really think about how much more skilled and knowledgeable I am now in comparison.
I knew that the next craft would be done better and more easily. I knew where my pitfalls were and how to avoid them. I am here a year later and I appreciate those pitfalls I had to crawl out of, because that is what taught me. The resilience, persistence, and patience to make my design vision into reality.
