Self-taught Kentucky woodturner Chad Eames tries to highlight the natural features of the wood – knots, voids and bark inclusions — while still maintaining a modern feel with his designs. Company/studio: Chad Eames WoodWorks started in 2008 and is based in Lexington. Eames’ workshop is in his garage. Artist: Born in Royal Oak, MI, and…
In his colorful tree-branch art, Georgia’s Tom Chambers brings the outdoors in. The artist: Chambers’ interest in art began in an Orlando high school, where his first art class was taught by his football and track team coach. At the University of Tampa, where he attended college on a football scholarship, Chambers studied sculpture, drawing…
Through his camera sculpture, Virginia’s John Shuptrine blends his interest in photography with his love of wood. The company/studio: John Shuptrine Art, started about eight years ago. The doctor-turned-artist works in his home workshop in Lynchburg, where he has lived for 35 years. In the beginning: While Shuptrine was in the process of retiring from…
North Carolina sculptor and designer Tom Haney creates a modern offshoot of the time-honored, Old World tradition of automata. The artist: Born in Cincinnati, Haney grew up in a large creative family, and earned a degree in industrial design from the University of Cincinnati. Before he became a full-time artist in 2000, Haney made props,…
One grandfather was a carpenter. The other was a machinist. Both influenced Dave Lasker’s work and career as a contemporary furniture designer and sculptor in Atlanta. The artist: Born in West Seneca, NY, Lasker lived in Providence, RI. Before heading off to college, he worked construction jobs during the summer months in high school. He…
Georgia-based Marco Bogazzi designs and fabricates solid hardwood furniture with clean, modern lines. The artist: Born and raised in New Jersey by Italian immigrants, Bogazzi earned an undergraduate and graduate degrees in industrial design from the Pratt Institute School of Art and Design (NY). After college, he worked in the corporate world, designing products for…
Lin Babb doesn’t use a pattern for his heirloom-quality cutting boards. The self-taught Louisiana craftsman lets the wood dictate the size and shape of each stand-apart piece. The artist: Born in Lecompte, Babb grew up in Alexandria and graduated from LSU. He received a master’s degree at Northwestern State University. Afterward, he taught physical education…
Influenced by his work at a contemporary furniture company, Charlotte’s Mark Ellis started his own design business: building modern houses. For birds. The artist: Born and raised in Marine City, MI, Ellis grew up in a log cabin on the St. Clair River. His family had sailboat and powerboat and enjoyed fishing from dock and…
Joel Scilley, founder of New Orleans-based Audiowood, artfully blends technology and organic forms in his novel audio designs. The artist: Scilley grew up in Florida and after high school, headed for New York, where he received his undergraduate degree from Hobart & William Smith College. He then earned an MA from Carnegie Mellon and a…
Georgia’s Robert Patterson makes elegantly austere wood objects with little concern for utility. The artist: Born in Baton Rouge, LA, Patterson grew up in North Carolina. Both his father and grandfather who were woodworkers. At college, he focused on drawing and painting. Patterson earned a BFA from the University of North Carolina and an MFA…