Woodworker... it's an honest word. -Sam Maloof

Sam Maloof (1916 - 2009)

Sam Maloof is one of the few male figures I respect as much as my own father. He once said he was simply a woodworker by his own account – to the rest of the world, he was a giant. His impact on my life is beyond words.

Maloof rose to greatness during the post war minimalist period of architecture. Sam’s desire to create organically modern furniture is described by author/ photographer of Maloof Beyond 90 -An American Woodworker Gene Sasse, “Sam approached each project with more than just an exacting eye for design and detail. Wood was carefully selected. Cut, honed, polished and joined together; ultimately the pieces of once living trees are resurrected to a new life as functional objects of the highest artistic merit.”

In my mind, creation is a desire for our minds to expand beyond our physicality into a collective intellectual space. In this sense, whatever object becomes of this extension is in turn, a physical manifestation of the desire and the deep psychology of the artist. The work of Maloof evokes a strong reaction within my spirit. The beautiful forms he created suggest a man who was deeply connected to the material and at the same time showed a deep well of sensitivity to the world. 

Although he was a re-known woodworker who experienced fame and fortune, he never faltered in his philosophy and honesty to his craft. He always considered himself a woodworker, he said, "it's an honest word."

Resources:

Sam Maloof Website

Maloof Foundation Website

Studio Craft in Craft Forms at the Wayne Art Center

Tie Me Not Neckpiece featured in CraftForms 2011

Victoria Donohoe from the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reviewed a show my work is featured in called Craft Forms at the Wayne Art Center in Philly. 

I was very honored to be selected for the show! 125 works are featured by 109 artists chosen from 894 entries. 

Donohue posits the idea that, 

"The installation of 21st-century studio crafts in the 17th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Craft, "CraftForms 2011," at Wayne Art Center suggests to this observer that there's a paradoxical "homelessness" about the craft art of our century."

Great article! Check it out here! Craft Forms Review

Edge of Nature Ring featured in CraftForms 2011

Edge of Nature Ring - Detail

Ice Cube speaks to Eames

Worth a watch. I never new Ice Cube studied architecture. 

Nakashima Inspired Art Jewelry

"To be intimate with nature in its multifaceted moods is one of the greatest experiences of life."

-George Nakashima


The Key Ring was one of my first rings and is an homage to George Nakashima. Nakashima was an innovative woodworker and furniture maker whose inhale and exhale matched that of the material he used. His elegant works represent the American Craft Movement.

His reverence for nature rests in his sensitive designs. His signature technique was a joint he called the 'butterfly joint' which acted as a key, holding weak points of wood together by it's simple shape. In the beginning, he would hide this technique under table tops. Once he was more established and respected he began using the key joint not only as a functional element but also as a decorative one. I find great inspiration in his innovation and by the ways in which he expressed the intrinsic beauty of nature. 


Visit his site for more on the great Nakashima here: http://www.nakashimawoodworker.com/

Key Ring by Gustav Reyes

Table by George Nakashima

Butterfly Joint detail by Nakashima

Brooches: Contemporary Art Jewelry Staple?

Since entering the world of art jewelry, I have struggled with validity of the Brooch. For one, throughout history, brooches have never been a common adornment for men. In their early days, brooches were used as a functional object which held garments in place. Functionality eventually gave way to pure adornment. However, whether it was serving a functional purpose or simply to adorn the body brooches have been incorporated into wardrobes for thousands of years. (For some great examples of brooches throughout history, visit here.)

In a new world of alternative materials, techniques and concepts in jewelry making, how valid is the brooch? When I began making jewelry, I noticed that the brooch seemed to be a staple in many accomplished art jewelers collections. I wondered whether it was simply a long standing prerequisite or if brooches were actually something appreciators sought. During my research I came across an exhibition featuring brooches at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art curated by Jan Katz. According to Katz, "Brooches are a small sculpture, a small canvas but a big statement." Katz organized the show Brooching the Subject : One of a Kind. I can connect my work to the way in which Katz explains arts jewelry as "... not [being] prized for the weight of the stones or the value of the metals. It's prized for the sculptural or narrative quality, or just its beauty." 

Art jewelry goes beyond crafted adornments because the emphasis is not placed on the value of the material but on the value of the concepts. This gives artists freedom to create something more personally meaningful and with more intention. In a way the wearer is the canvas and the brooch, a masterpiece that may express a mood, a feeling or a facet of the adorner who consciously chooses to let it become an extension of their existence. 

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It just so happens, that at the moment, brooches are trendy for men. Are you man enough? View this blog on the brooches for men trend. 

Christmas Gift for the New Shop!

I had a stroke of genius this month. Since our new shop does not include a proper sink... and since all of my assistants each drink a gallon of coffee a day, I purchased a Keurig Coffee Maker. If you're not familiar, these machines make just one cup. To cover some of the cost, I've asked for a quarter a cup. 

My assistant, Erin, created this 'piggy bank'. 

Trefoil Not Brooch for the James Renwick Alliance

I donated this Trefoil Not Brooch to the James Renwick Alliance for their annual Spring Craft Weekend and silent auction. The work will be introduced on March 24th at the Willard Hotel, next to the White House. What an honor!

Photos by Erin Beckman

Trefoil Not Brooch in Walnut with Sterling Silver

 

 

 

Any thoughts on men wearing brooches? I think it looks quite sharp!