Cherry Bookcase

This bookcase owes a lot to Louise Nevelson


Cherry BookcaseA collection of scraps in my shop, which had morphed into a Louise Nevelson inspired sculpture, had a major influence on this bookcase. The random shapes and textures worked perfectly into the function of the bookcase as it prompted the consideration of grouping favorite books by topic, each in their own space.
The various volumes and shapes of each book grouping provided opportunities for several odd drawers and hidden compartments. One not so hidden spot are the shelves of miniature books behind the removable exclamation point and lit when the drawer above it is opened slightly.
The  books add color, texture and their own stories to the structure of the bookcase, much like Louise Nevelson used texture within structure to tell visual stories.

                                           Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral’s Presence 1

Fine & Heavy, Arts & Artisans

My studio is located at Equinox Studios in Seattle,  a vibrant community of Fine & Heavy, Arts & Artisans. Last summer, after a pandemic hiatus, we hosted an open air version of our long standing December Very Open House. This August is our second annual Very Out in the Open House.
An opportunity for artists to show and sell work and a gift of music and entertainment to the community.

Web Wizards

I want to thank Rob Hanna, Blaine Slingerland and Rebecca Nelson for their work on my website. They were able to take my vague ideas and create a site that I’m quite proud of.

Thank you, Rob, Blaine & Rebecca

I want to acknowledge and thank Rob Hanna and Blaine Slingerland for a great job on my website. Rob’s sense of design and, especially, his patience translating my ideas gave us a chance to refine the design through several iterations. Blaine’s programming made it all work without compromise. We built on Rebecca Nelson’s original graphic vision, which helped frame the concept.
robhanna.com
slingerlandweb.com

Equinox Studios Open House

I work in a 1940’s era factory which in it’s current life is called Equinox Studios. There are 50 odd ” Artists and Artisans, Fine and Heavy ” that have studios in the building. It is, to say the very least, an invigorating environment. Immediate credit for that goes to the resident artists. But if it were not for Sam Farrazaino’s vision 7 years ago and hard work since Equinox would not exist. And I would not be inviting you to our 7th annual December Open House. I guarantee you’ll have a great evening, it might even change your life.

open house postcard

Solid Ground Women’s Shelter

closets4

Closet before renovation

This spring ( 2013 ) I concluded an involvement with a group of volunteers contributing to the work of Girls Giving Back, an organization that helps support the Seattle area shelter community. We built shelving units that were installed in closets in apartments in a women’s shelter operated by Solid Ground. We worked nearly every Saturday for about 2 ½ years.

It was a rewarding experience on several levels.

The residents of the shelter now have ample storage for their transitional stay at the shelter. Closet shelving is often combined with a complete apartment redecoration by the Girls Giving Back crew. There are examples of the shelter apartment restorations on Girls Giving Back website, look under “GGB Projects/Solid Ground”. www.girlsgivingback.org

closets3

Closet after renovation

Our cabinet building volunteers mostly began with little or no woodworking experience. They worked hard, had fun, all learned some woodworking skills and a few became quite skilled.

In the spirit of the program Edensaw Woods and Woodcraft of Georgetown contributed supplies at very deep discounts.

I was privileged to work with a dedicated, interesting and fun group of volunteers. I’m glad the project is finished but I do miss working with that crew.