Wood Spring Concentration
March 3 – April 26, 2024 (8 Weeks)
Ellie Richards
Freeform Furniture
Using furniture and functionality as our muse, this workshop will use traditional techniques to create compelling and imaginative objects that communicate ideas and feelings beyond their utility. We’ll cover traditional methods of processing, joining, bending, and carving wood to make sculptural furniture forms. A variety of surface explorations and wood finishes will be presented, and the use of alternative materials (leather, cork, felt) along with high-quality hardware will be encouraged. Through a cycle of playing and building, students will strengthen their voice while working to question convention, break free of archetypes, and explore the abstract. By the end of the session, Freeform Furniture will take on a shape all its own. All levels.
Studio artist; teaching: Yestermorrow (VT), Appalachian Center for Craft (TN), Haystack (ME), Penland; residencies: Center for Art in Wood (ME), San Diego State University (CA), University of Wisconsin-Madison, former Penland Resident Artist; exhibitions: Mint Museum (NC), Center for Craft (NC), SOFA Chicago, Society of Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh).
