Juno (see previous post) showed me some samples of cool things he has done with glass.  I can already see some furniture applications.  I like the irregularity- it gives the glass a natural feel, warmer

Small glass cylinders are chopped up and glued together.  Lots of work!  the cuts are inconsistent- creating variations in color where the glue seeped in underneath. The epoxy used for glue up can be died any color and you can even do a gradient.

A sample of bamboo laminated up with glass.  He used this on a stair tread project.

Joel Wakeman is nearly done with his chaboo!  He has built one from scratch, re-interpreting my design using salvaged materials.

Joel works a lot with hand tools and even mills his wood by hand without a jointer/planer.  These are hand cut dovetails!  Very impressive.  I like how he makes the material appear lighter and thinner by tapering it out towards the edge.

Joel and I actually went to the same school, the Rhode Island School of Design.  If I hadnt quit we would have been in the industrial design program together.  Its interesting to see what I missed out on by leaving school and working instead.  I asked him to come by my shop the other day and show me how to mill wood with only hand tools.  I brought out an old chunk of mahogany i had laying around the shop and he taught my apprentice Lauren and I how to flatten the face and then true up a square edge by hand.

Even though I will continue to mill wood by machine for most applications it was nice to do it by hand to really feel the material.  I got out my really nice Japanese handplane which cuts on the pull, not the push.  It felt really smooth and controlled on the mahogany and made really nice shavings.  So nice that Lauren took some home with her.  She really enjoyed using the hand tools so I think ill teach her how to use a chisel safely next chance i get Thanks for the lessons Joel.

You can see Joel’s work on the website for his company, Integration Workshop. You will see that the images on his site are very well photographed.  His wife is a very talented photographer and also has an unrelated talent for falling asleep while standing.

I had the priviledge of loaning chaboo and sensu to my friend Jiro Yonezawa for his exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden. The beautiful setting was a perfect match for his art.  The venue was stunning to say the least.  I talked to the art director there and she was very receptive to the idea of doing a group show there for furniture in 2010.

Sensu was used to display a few of his smaller pieces and also to serve as a reception table.

Chaboo was used to display one of his basket sculptures.

Jiro is a master sculptor, formally trained in Japan to work with bamboo weaving.  His work is amazing in its craftsmanship, form and attention to detail.  He has developed signature techniques as he has refined his craft over the years.  He is world renowned and his work is included in the Lloyd Cotsen collection of bamboo baskets considered to be the greatest collection in the world today.

The show at the Japanese Garden continues througout the month of November.  You should go have a look.  The gardens are beautiful as well with the last of fall foliage clinging on.

My friend Jiro Yonezawa is a master bamboo weaver/sculptor.  His work will be on display at the Japanese Garden Nov 15-30.  He has asked me to loan a few of my furniture pieces to display his sculptures. The versatile Chaboo, of course and Sensu.

There is an opening reception this sunday nov 16 at 2pm with a lecture by Nancy Moore Bess, author of Bamboo in Japan. I have her book.  Thanks Patty and Chen for buying it for me a few years ago.

Jiros work is amazing!  Ive helped him out with some public art projects in the past and wish I could continue to learn from him about working with bamboo but he has moved back to Japan.  Were lucky to have him back temporarily for the show.

And yes, I am recruiting him hard for Project Chaboo.  Integrating his bamboo cane work into Chaboo would be appropriate and incredible.  Im crossing my fingers that he has time during his stay here.

If Jiro doesnt have time, I will do something myself where I integrate raw bamboo into Chaboo.  The interplay between machined and natural of the same material would be interesting to explore.

I had the chance to go to the closing reception for my friend, furniture designer David Laubenthal’s art show at OPSIS/920 Gallery today.  Dave and I share a similarity in that we are furniture designers who have all kinds of creative outlets besides furniture.  Ive seen his fun work with the Portland Pallet Project but Ive never seen his fine art in person.  I was interested to see how his creative energies translate into painting.

In his words:

For the show at the 920 gallery at Opsis, I created a series of paintings that refer to traditional architectural rendering techniques of the past. Graphite pencils and colored pencils were added to my process and traditional drawing tools such as compasses, drawing templates, t-squares among others were employed in the layout and execution of the work. For the color palette I referred to the color theories favored by the Bauhaus school. In my studio, I strive to blur the lines between art and design, both in my furniture work as well as my artwork, and this series has become an extension of that theme.

I was impressed at how well refined his technique and concept were.  Also, the scale of his work was quite large and the series very appropriate for the space.  His paintings had depth and a unique quality from using tools for sculpture rather than a brush.  It is inspiring to see a fellow designer developed as a visual artist.  Makes me think that I need to work harder at my fine art and put in the time and effort required for my creative soul to mature on the visual art side.  Its important to me to be well rounded and constantly create beyond the design work that I do.  I feel that fine art and design are not separate but rather inter-related outlets for our creative energies that feed off of each other.  Great inspiration and encouragement.

Dave was honored last night as a recipient of the Portland Spaces Magazine ROOT award for Rising Stars.  Awesome.  Congrats Dave!