About John

I have always thought of myself as a woodworker building sculptural forms, about half of which are primarily decorative, the other half functional furniture. While I respect traditional designs and use many traditional techniques, I am not interested in building reproductions. My usual approach is to design and build ‘on the fly’, trusting my intuition and using the materials on hand in my shop. My goal is to keep my work looking fresh and less ‘over-worked’. The designs show a certain balance and proportion and usually place structure at the forefront rather than hiding it.

I am intrigued with the play of light – how light can highlight a surface or slip through an opening, yet disappear when the piece is viewed from another line. I also find myself drawn by the materials used, allowing them to dictate the direction I move. I can deconstruct the frame of a table and allow the top to float – looking as if it were held down rather than held up.

My furniture designs have always pushed craft past the purely functional into a more liberated aesthetic. The purely sculptural forms move even further in this direction. If all I do is create something that piques one’s interest, causes someone to stop and appreciate the materials used and how they fit together, and to share the enjoyment I had in building it, then I feel I have succeeded.