Joel Wakeman with his chaboo.  The one he is sitting on he made one with a pallet he found at my shop last week.  I should charge him for the material!  On top of that is the chaboo from a previous post which mysteriously went from green to black.  Go figure.

photo by Joe Mansfield

An intimate moment with his chaboo as Joel says goodbye.

Photo by Anna Campbell

Todd Griffith here with his chaboo.  He made sure his wardrobe matched the graffiti on my shop.  Very nice.

Photo by Joe Mansfield

Going surfing bruddah.

Photo by Anna Campbell

Paul Sykes explaining the patterns on his chaboo.  Something to do with a pattern he saw during his travels in Syria.  I only heard rumors….

Photo by Joe Mansfield

He sees something!

Photo by Anna Campbell

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.

Last week artists started coming by my shop to pick up their chaboos.  I had made ten and now I only have 2 left.

Jennifer Mercede, Chris Haberman

Jennifer Mercede and her friend Chris Haberman were the first to pick up and got the best selection.  They often collaborate on large scale murals around town where their styles really compliment each other.  As you can see, their work is amazing!  Jennifer had several ideas for what to do so I gave her two chaboos.  Her work has a youthful exuberance that will add alot of energy to this project.

Jennifer Mercede, Chris Haberman

One concern of mine is that the artists will be hesitant because they are not used to this medium.  Jennifer told me its going to be hard for her to hack into such a finished, beautiful piece.  I hope this hesitation/intimidation to use a finished piece of furniture does not hinder the artists from being able to release their full creativity.  Being able to let go is the critical ingredient for a successful transfer from idea to reality.

Jennifer Mercede

Project Chaboo is an artist series I am curating based on my chaboo design.  I am recruiting artists to customize my chaboo in their own style.

13" tall, 14" deep, 32" wide

I have illustrators, painters, woodworkers, glass, metal, concrete, laser, felt, carbon fiber, and a recycled skateboard artist.  These artists are very talented in their own right and I am fortunate that they are willing to collaborate with me on this project.  The diversity of the energies they bring to the project will propel it forward as well as enrich my life as a designer.

I cant wait to see the range of customization these talented artists bring to this project.  ShowPDX has been a great show where we can really see the different signature styles of designers.  Id like Project Chaboo to be similar in that respect but in a format which will create a series of work based on the same basic design where their voices can be heard.  Their chabus will be marketed on my website and Id like to have a local show in a gallery as well.  Im really excited about this project as a community building exercise.  I really think it will help everyone by connecting us all together in a web.

Another motivation for this project started from frustrations that were voiced by many local furniture designers that they dont have a venue where they can sell their creations without paying large commission fees and retail markups.  Id like this to be a project that will allow artists to sell their artwork for what they want to charge for it.   I dont plan on charging commission for sales through the site. Commission may be involved if the sales are through a gallery though.  Im working on eliminating that issue, either by contracting a venue through a flat fee or by obtaining a grant that will pay the artists’ commissions.

This project will be a lot of fun and a great exercise in community building and collaboration.  I think its important to think of art/design as something beyond yourself every once in a while to keep our spirits fresh and our creative minds sharp.