News
-January 16, 2012
The WOOD: A Furniture Show opening on Saturday went fantastic; we had about 530 people come through the show before we closed the doors and everyone appeared to be having a great time. Here's a link to a bunch of photos taken by one of the attendees.
If you are in Escondido over the next three weeks make sure to stop by the gallery for a look at some of the work.
The Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery is located at 262 E. Grand Ave., in Escondido. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.
-January 10, 2012
The Escondido Arts Partnership will exhibit its third presentation of “WOOD: A Furniture Show,” hosted by Brian Murphy of Murphy’s Fine Woodworking, at the Escondido Municipal Gallery. The event will feature 30 pieces of furniture by a gathering of some of the very best furniture makers in Southern California. I'll have four pieces on display and will be at the opening reception if anyone wants to stop by and say hi.
The opening reception is January 14, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery is located at 262 E. Grand Ave., in Escondido. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.
-December 5, 2011
Fine Wood Artists just did a blog post on some of my latest and possibly best work. It's a dining table and 6 chairs in Cherry and Carpathian Elm Burl. They also mentioned an upcoming show that will feature some of my new work along with work from a number of other furniture makers.
-November 4, 2011
My good friends at the CFT 411 Blog have done the first of a three part series of posts on a custom freestanding headboard project I completed earlier this year. I've also added a special page in the portfolio for the Ginkgo Headboard that has photos of some of the design process as well as photos of the headboard under construction and finished to show how a project gets from concept to completion.
-September 21, 2011
I've just added some new work to the portfolio pages of my site. The first is an elliptical dining table called the Tulip Table for a client in Pasadena. This piece is quite modern in design and features some very interesting marquetry. Check out the link for some images and details.
The second piece is another marquetry cabinet in my fall colors theme. The first was the Japanese Maple leaf cabinet from last year and I made several versions of this piece in cabinet and table form. This latest piece has marquetry imagery of White Oak leaves and acorns on a similar cabinet form to the original.
-August 28, 2011
Kim Dodge from Inlay Arts has done the first in a three part series of blog posts on my marquetry Blanket Chests. There are some nice images and a few of my thoughts on two chests in particular. Keep checking back for future posts covering some of my parquetry work.
-August 15, 2011
The video tour of my shop that Randy Johnson and Jeremy Grubb from American Woodworker shot while they were in San Diego for the 2011 Design In Wood show is finished. Click the link and take a look.
-July 19, 2011
I just heard that my large marquetry Dogwood Cabinet won the furniture category in this years Veneer Tech Craftsmans Challenge.
One of the judges had some very nice comments on my piece "This large piece is notable for being constructed principally of veneer, giving it an airy feel despite its obvious size. The application of heavily figured ash burl on the exterior and curly maple on interior surfaces is the work of a master. The marquetry involving 350 floral pieces in holly veneer, amazing in its own right, exhibits a remarkable use of grain to represent shading in white petals and green leaves." —Bill Esler, 2011 Craftsman's Challenge judge.
There are lots of other interesting pieces in the competition this year so I'm quite happy to have won. A few years ago one of my large built-in wall units won the cabinetry category.
-June 11, 2011
The 2011 Design In Wood Show at the Del Mar Fair awards ceremony was last night I was lucky enough to get several awards for the work I entered. I won 2nd and 4th places in the Veneering/Marquetry category and another 2nd place in the Professional category. Overall a great night and lots of fun catching up with people I don't get to see often enough. The show runs through July 4th.
Yesterday was quite a busy day with the awards ceremony at night and in the morning Randy Johnson and Jeremy Grubb from American Woodworker came by the shop to shoot some video footage for an upcoming video series project at American Woodworker. We did a shop tour and short interview discussing my furniture making and finished off with a video demonstration of how to make a small marquetry panel start to finish. We had lots of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing the edited version of the video when it's all done. There may be more video sessions coming in the future.
-May 24, 2011
I've just posted a few new projects to the portfolio section of the website that are worth a look. First is the final piece in a five piece bedroom set designed by the client in collaboration with one of the galleries that sells my work. I call it the Zig Zag Cabinet and once you see the photos you'll understand why. I'm glad this piece looks so calm because it was quite a job to get it all to come together. So many little pieces of veneer that all needed to line up perfectly with so many other little pieces of veneer. Much like the Diamond Cabinet which was actually for the same client a few years ago.
The second piece is total different than the first and is another marquetry Blanket Chest with imagery of Gladiola flowers in Holly on a background of Tineo veneer. This piece will be featured at the upcoming Design In Wood show here in San Diego.
-May 10, 2011
The 'Home Remodel of The Year' I worked on last year that was featured in San Diego Home and Garden magazine has just been featured in a special issue of Woman's Day Magazine called Remodeling and Makeovers on newstands after February 2011. This article highlights some new areas of the house and has a few more pictures of some of the cabinet work I did on this project.
Also coming up very soon is the 2011 Design In Wood Show at the Del Mar Fair where I will have three new pieces on display (including one extra special piece you won't want to miss) along side a few hundred other custom pieces of woodworking. It starts in June and runs through July 4th. After the Design In Wood Show is the Fine Art Woodworking Show in Orange County where I will also have several pieces on display. It sounds like this show has gotten much better in the last few years and would be worth a visit if you are in the area.
-March 13, 2011
Issue #219 of Fine Woodworking Magazine comes out in a couple weeks and will feature a 6 page article in the Master Class section of the magazine illustrating my method for creating a veneered chessboard with some contrasting borderwork. The photos for this feature length article were shot last year along with the photos for my exotic inlay article from two issues ago. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one in print; it takes what could be a moderately difficult project and turns it into a fairly straight forward step by step process that anyone can follow to get great results.
-February 27, 2011
The new Blanket Chest Book by Peter Turner and Scott Gibson has officially been released and looks great. Fantastic designs and some great writing make it a worthwhile read. Here is a preview of the section on my Dogwood Blanket Chest. I was lucky enough to have my blanket chest chosen as one of the featured pieces on the cover of the book as well. The link above also takes you to a short sideline article on how I cut and assemble marquetry images that was included as one of the interesting techniques detailed in the book. It's great to be a part of something that turns out so nice and I'm grateful to the authors for selecting my piece as one of only 30 to be featured.
-February 12, 2011
The San Diego Home/Garden Magazine February 2011 issue featuring the 'Home Remodel of The Year' that I worked on is on newstands now. Click the link above to see a portion of the article and pictures of some of the many pieces I built for this lovely home. San Diego Home/Garden invited a number of the contractors and suppliers to a pre-release party hosted by the homeowners a few weeks ago that was very enjoyable. It was nice to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.
-January 5, 2011
It's a new year and we are starting it off right with a batch of great news. First off I was just informed that a remodel I worked on last year won 'Home Remodel of The Year' from San Diego Home/Garden Magazine and will be featured in the upcoming February issue. I built all of the cabinetry in this house except the kitchen and a small bar downstairs. In total there were two large custom wall mounted floating desks with file storage, a long wall mounted floating entertainment center, two floating bathroom vanities, a builtin dresser cabinet, closet cabinetry, multiple pantry cabinets, display cabinets, a bedroom wall unit that incorporated a murphy bed, lighted display spaces and a large wardrobe cabinet and a couple other smaller items. Quite a bit of work and I'm glad that it is being so well recieved, especially since I didn't end up taking any high quality photos of the project.
I also have a couple more things coming up in Fine Woodworking Magazine. One of my favorite cabinets from a few years ago will be featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine March/April 2011. This was the smaller of two matched pieces built for this client. Then in the following issue #219 there will be an article describing my method for creating a veneered chessboard.
-December 14, 2010
Fine Woodworking Magazine issue #217 has my inlay article featuring a variety of interesting materials that can be used for inlay. The exotic inlay article also continues with an audio slideshow on the Fine Woodworking website and details my methods for inlaying Mother of Pearl dots in furniture and images of a few of the pieces made using these techniques.
-November 21, 2010
I've added the full text and photos of the two articles about my work in Australian Wood Review Magazine to the website. The first article is an artist profile and a discussion we had on being a furniture builder in todays economy and the other article is a very detailed description of my method for creating marquetry, which I learned from Paul Schurch and have adjusted to suit my working style over the past years.
-November 6, 2010
The second post covering my marquetry furniture has been posted by Arthur Kim Dodge on his Marquetry and Inlay blog Inlay Arts. This post details the variety of Dogwood flower marquetry pieces I have done over the past years, everything from mirror frames to large display cabinets.
-October 18, 2010
I have been in contact off and on recently with Arthur Kim Dodge, one of the founders of a relatively new website and blog focused entirely on Inlay and Marquetry artists and companies. Inlay Arts reports on the contemporary inlay arts community and promotes the top talents creating today's inlay arts Renaissance. There have been a series of posts on the Inlay Arts blog covering Art Deco furnishings in recent weeks and the latest post covers the range of Art Deco furniture I have built over the past few years focusing primarily on my Chess Table from two years ago. A future post will detail some of my more interesting marquetry furniture. This site has information not readily available elsewhere and details projects that we might not see in other places; for instance the posts on the Queen Elizabeth and Lady Christine. It's well worth a visit.
-September 10, 2010
I just received word that my Maple Leaf Cabinet won Best Furniture Piece at the 2010 Artistry In Wood Exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum of Art. I have heard that the show this year is quite good. As always, if you are in Sonoma during the next month and a half stop by and check out the show.
-August 14, 2010
I just received my copy of Lark Books newest book release '500 Cabinets' which features two of my cabinets. One is a marquetry piece and the other is a parquetry piece. This latest book appears to be the best in the series in terms of both the quality and the wide variety of the designs featured. I also have two tables featured in Lark Books '500 Tables' book from last year.
San Diego Home and Garden Magazine will feature images of my newest piece of marquetry furniture in the upcoming October 2010 issue. SDHG has been very supportive of local artists over the past years and I am fortunate to have benefited from that support through a number of articles and printed photos of my work. Thanks again.
-July 21, 2010
This summer I spent some time away from the shop and was able to explore metalsmithing techniques in several workshops taught by Anne Wolf of the Ray Street Annex.
Anne teaches many of the different techniques used when working with metal in her workshops and has numerous pieces of her own work on display to inspire students. My plan is to use some of the techniques I learned to craft custom hardware for speculative pieces of furniture in the future.
-July 7, 2010
I thought I should post an image of some non-floral marquetry that I have done in the past for anyone that might think I only make pretty marquetry flowers and leaves. This Holly and Ebony marquetry was made for an alternate design of my Art Deco Chess Table from several years ago. The idea was to represent the two battling forces in a game of chess as two opposing knights on a battlefield. In the end I decided not to complete this piece but the marquetry panels of the knights and the many complex scrollwork panels that went with them are still in the shop.
-June 1, 2010
I had a wonderful vist with Linda and Raf Nathan, the editors of Australian Wood Review last month. They were traveling Southern California and took time to stop by the shop and chat for a few hours. While they were here we photographed and documented a nice how-to on the process I use to create marquetry panels. It should be coming out in a future issue of the magazine; which by the way is well worth the read if you can get your hands on an issue. The topics covered are similar to those in US magazines but there is more of a focus on 'studio' type furniture which is refreshing to see after the demise of Home Furniture magazine years ago.
Also coming up this month is the annual Design In Wood Exhibition hosted by the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association. I have heard that it will be another banner year for the show which is still the largest woodworking exhibit in the country. I will have one piece of marquetry furniture in this years show so stop by and have a look around.
-May 14, 2010
My friends at the blog CFT411 have posted a wonderful review of some of my most recent work. If you aren't a regular visitor to this blog it is worth becoming one. Joe Freenor and Joe Dusel post some great info about new products for kitchens, baths, furniture, and just about anything else related to furniture and cabinetry. There are also quite a few posts about new ecologically sound products for those of us that desire to be more environmentally concious.
-April 29, 2010
At long last I have completed several months of installation work on a series of large projects and will now be spending some time in the shop working on a number of new furniture pieces. Most will be marquetry commissions including my largest marquetry piece to date for a new client in Sonoma. This piece will incorporate Dogwood flower marquetry flowing around and across an upper cabinet then falling over a counter area and down another series of drawer and door fronts. It should be quite interesting when finished.
-March 31, 2010
I just finished two new marquetry furniture pieces which take my marquetry work in a new direction. Both pieces are made with only natural wood veneers, no dyed or colored veneer was used in the marquetry imagery. The images are of Japenese Maple leaves and branches in a variety of fall colors flowing across the background veneers. As an alternative to commercially available handles the Maple Leaf Cabinet doors have handles somewhat molded into the framework of the door itself, something I learned while studying compound bending techniques with Brian Newell in Fort Bragg.
-February 27, 2010
The Taunton Press is publishing a new book on Blanket Chests written by Peter Turner and Scott Gibson featuring interesting new blanket chest designs by a number of well known artists. If you look in the upper right corner of the cover you'll see my Dogwood Blanket Chest in Mahogany and Sycamore made the cut to be featured on the cover. There will also be a short sideline article on how I cut and assemble marquetry images.
-January 14, 2010
I have an article coming out in Fine Woodworking Magazine in 2010. It is a feature length article on how I veneer curved shapes, everything from coves to half radii shapes appearing in the April 2010 issue. Another article printing sometime in the future details my method for creating a veneered chessboard which is a mix of several different methods from various places.
-December 3, 2009
A new book by Schiffer Publishing called 'Wood Art Today 2' will feature eight images of a variety of my work along with the work of many other talented artists working with wood. This book is the second in the 'Wood Art Today' series, the first by Dona Meilach years ago is well worth the read. Dona Meilach wrote many craft oriented books over her long career bringing many new artists exposure and showing the general public the amazing work being done in a variety of craft fields. Dona passed away in 2006; Terry Martin wrote an excellent article about his work with her for Woodwork Magazine in 2007.
-August 14, 2009
I just received word that my Art Deco Chess Table won Best of Show at the 2009 Artistry In Wood Exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum of Art. This is a great show put on by the Sonoma County Woodworkers Association every year. If you are in Sonoma over the next month and a half stop by the museum and see all the great work by many diverse artists.
-July 3, 2009
At long last I am in the process of moving my shop to a new location. I am just starting the renovations (painting, electrical, office, and loft to name a few) to the new space but it has high ceilings, twice the square footage and lots of room for new and exciting projects in the future. I expect to be moved in and functional by the end of the month. The old shop is still setup and working away on existing projects so there won't be any down time during the move.
-April 20, 2009
My schedule of shows for the summer is finalized and I will be showing my Art Deco Chess Table at the annual Baulines Craft Guild Master Exhibition in San Rafael and then again at the Artistry In Wood Exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum of Art.
I will also have two new pieces, including another in a continuing line of Art Deco inspired work, on display at the annual Design In Wood Exhibition hosted by the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association held during the San Diego County Fair. This will be the 10th anniversary of my first showing work at the Design in Wood Exhibition.
-February 10, 2009
The Baulines Craft Guild will have a display of member work at the CODAchrome Exhibition in Saint Paul, MN from April 10th through August 7th, 2009. CODAchrome is an exhibition of work drawn from the members of CODA (the Craft Organization Director’s Association). The exhibition will showcase organizations such as the Friends of Fiber Art International, the American Association of Woodturners, the Society of North American Goldsmiths, the Furniture Society, and the Baulines Craft Guild. My Campion Display Table has been selected as one of the pieces to represent the Baulines Craft Guild.
-January 23, 2009
I just received news that I have been accepted as a Master Member of the Baulines Craft Guild of California. The Guild is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of California's fine craft legacy that was formed in 1972 and has achieved national recognition for its Education Programs.
The Guild is composed of artisan/teachers who are among the most significant artists creating fine craft work in America today and I am honored to be accepted as one of their members. You can read more about the Guild and the annual Master Member Exhibitions at this link Baulines Craft Guild.
-January 6, 2009
I have started building several new pieces for display in this years furniture shows; check back for more info as the work develops.
In addition I just received word that I will be one of a select group of furniture makers featured in a new book by Schiffer Publishing called Studio Furniture from Today's Leading Woodworkers coming out later this year. The feature will showcase four of my recent furniture pieces; two marquetry and two Art Deco.
-November 12, 2008
Lark Books has just notified me that two of my contemporary tables will be featured in their latest design book '500 Tables' due in bookstores in the summer of 2009.
-September 18, 2008
San Diego Home and Garden Magazine has an article in the October 2008 issue highlighting exciting new home products that features two photos of my award winning Art Deco Chess Table from this years Design In Wood Show, click here to see a preview.
-August 31, 2008
I have new Art Deco furniture on display at Gallery M in Half Moon Bay, Ca. and will be their 'Featured Artist of The Month' in September. If you are in the Half Moon Bay area stop by the gallery and see some of my new work in person.
The San Diego Home and Garden Magazine '2008 Interior Design Guide' has an article on commissioning custom furniture highlighting two of my furniture pieces from the past few years, click here to see a preview. The article is titled Modern Jazz and starts on page 46 of the Design Guide.
-July 23, 2008
The Fine Art Woodworking Show is currently underway at the Orange County Fair through August 3rd. There are over 180 pieces of fine woodworking on display and I have been notified that my work was selected for four awards including:
-2nd. Place in Contemporary Furniture for my Coffee Table
-3rd. Place in Contemporary Furniture for my Breakfast Table
-Juror's Choice Award for my Breakfast Table
-Honorable Mention in Art Furniture for my Spiral Table
Also, starting this month and continuing through the end of August is the Artistry in Wood Exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum of Art. Last year my Campion Display Table won the Best of Show award and this year one of my new coffee tables was selected for an Award of Excellence.
-June 18, 2008
I decided to illustrate my design process for one of my new Art Deco pieces of furniture; specifically I put together a complete design layout board for my Ruhlmann style Art Deco Chess Table. This design board shows many of the important Art Deco details essential to accurately interpreting Ruhlmann style furniture and it shows how each of those details are applied to my Chess Table design. Click this link Chess Table Design Board to see the design process in more detail.
-June 14, 2008
The Design In Wood Exhibition has begun for 2008 and is filled with beautiful work in all forms, be sure to check it out before it ends on July 6th. If you don't make it in time click this link Design In Wood to see the San Diego Fine Woodworkers online photo gallery of the awards winning entries. I won several new awards this year including:
-1st. Place in Traditional Furniture for my Art Deco Chess Table
-3rd. Place in Veneering/Marquetry Furniture for my Dogwood Buffet
-The Master Woodworkers Trophy for my Cherry Sideboard
Also, this months Woodworkers Journal eZine has an artist profile on me written by Michael Dresdner featuring some of my latest work. Click the link above to view the article or check on my resume page for a full copy of the article.
-May 15, 2008
My show schedule for the summer has been finalized. I will have new pieces of furniture in the following shows:
-Once a Tree Gallery opening in Anaheim, May 24-July 31
-Design In Wood in San Diego, June 14-July 6
-Fine Art Woodworking in Orange County, July 11-August 3
-Artistry In Wood in Sonoma, July 12-August 31
-April 4, 2008
Check the May-June issue of Woodworker West Magazine for an in depth artist profile featuring some of my marquetry furniture and several pictures of new Art Deco work I have recently completed.
-March 2, 2008
Coming soon, a five part series on marquetry featuring my Gardenia Sideboard and Blue Ulysses Sideboard on the new woodworking blog CFT411. Created by two lifelong woodworkers CFT411 is going to provide readers with information on what is happening in the cabinetry and furniture fields and help them make smart choices for the future. Check in regularly to see tool reviews, new material discussions and professional profiles.
-February 6, 2008
Look for my artist profile in the March 2008 issue of San Diego Home and Garden Magazine. The SDHG photographer was in the shop recently and took pictures of some work in progress to be featured in the magazine. Additionally there will be several photos of my most recent marquetry embellished furniture along with a Q and A interview.
-January 1, 2008
The CT Fine Furniture website redesign is essentially complete. Keep checking back as photos of new work will regularly be added to the portfolio and new items of interest will be posted as monthly updates on the news page.