After seeing an iconic chair on a museum stop, Nathaniel Newcomb realized that furniture could be sculpture.
The Richmond sculptor and woodworker now designs and creates his own unique line of furniture that often features heavy or thick forms – and the occasional chainsaw marks.
Artist: Born in Richmond, VA, Newcomb grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. He moved back to Richmond in 2006 for college.
After he earned a BA in English Literature at Virginia Commonwealth University, Newcomb served in the Army and taught creative writing before apprenticing in various furniture shops, including an antique reproduction shop.
Company/studio: Nathaniel Newcomb, based in Richmond, started about 2017. Newcomb’s studio is currently based at Virginia Commonwealth University during his MFA program, but he also works in his backyard.
In the beginning: Newcomb grew up doing woodworking with his Dad, but it was mostly confined to carpentry: building decks and patios.
He didn’t really understand or care about the full potential of expression in wood until about eight years ago when he began to study furniture design.
It all started when he saw MicheIe de Lucchi’s First Chair at the Brooks Art Museum in Memphis, TN.
“Standing there, looking at that chair, I realized that furniture could be sculpture,” said Newcomb. “I wanted to design furniture but I also wanted to understand the materials.”
After that, Newcomb was furniture focused. He would find discarded furniture in alleyways, take it home and knock it apart to understand how it was constructed.
“I came to appreciate my dad’s personal projects, which were always sculptural and in the folk style,” said Newcomb.
His pieces were highly meaningful to him, drawing on mythology and dreams. Newcomb’s favorite piece of his Dad’s is a giant head that he carved out of a log about forty years ago. He had read about the giant stone heads of the Olmec people and was immediately inspired to carve it.
Art & materials: Furniture and sculpture ($600 to $3,500) with heavy and thick forms made from local wood that is sustainably harvested or wood that would otherwise end up in a dump.
Newcomb mills the wood himself with a chainsaw or a bandsaw mill so some pieces have hand-tool markings while others have large with aggressive chainsaw marks.
What’s popular: Various turned (round) end tables that are one of a kind and sustainably made ($200 to $600).
Favorite or must-have tools: Chainsaws and a lathe are must-haves, but carving hatchets and axes are always the most fun when he has a chance to use them.
Inspirations:
- Prehistoric tools and structures
- Stone megaliths that reference the immensity, cruelty, and beauty of life and the natural world.
“Undoubtedly, I will be inspired by Paleolithic and Neolithic objects the rest of my life,” he said.
Commission: Doesn’t do much commission work, but last year he made a giant hand room divider (see image, lower right) from solid oak to showcase the 2024 Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Craft and Design.
Recent award/honor: Just received 2025-2026 Fellowship, awarded by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA.
Recent projects: For art school: Lamps, stools, a full mantel, and a hand-carved chair in the shape of a small horse.
What’s next: As part of his candidacy exhibit as a first year MFA student, Newcomb will make all new pieces for a living room space along with his take on a more intimate bedroom space.
The exhibit will take place in an abandoned building that used to be the headquarters of BEST Products, a postmodern home decor store, in Richmond. April 25.
Where to buy: Instagram: @nathanielnewcomb and @with.boon.
Connect: Instagram: @nathanielnewcomb
