Woodwork Art

As I get older I am starting to look at things differently, with more thought on the subject, appreciating aesthetics, especially in my trade, carpentry, which led me to a man named Jack Rogers Hopkins.

(Source - https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21596/lot/2222/)

Jack was a Californian woodworking artist & designer. His furniture creations occurred during a time of iconic design in the furniture industry. The same era of Eames, the most famous furniture design team of the 20th century. No doubt you have seen some Eames furniture, like their iconic lounge chair and ottoman.

While Eames had a bit more industrial look to them, Hopkins was more organic. You could imagine his works being pulled straight form an old forest. Add some stain and a cushion and that was what his pieces looked like.

(source - https://toddmerrillstudio.com/shop/century/designers/jack-rogers-hopkins/jack-rogers-hopkins-custom-lounge-chair-and-ottoman-usa-1972/)

That incredible lounge chair and ottoman also has a built in reading light and bookshelf!

While it's not impossible to make pieces like this, you do have to know wood. You have to know it's hardness, how it can be bent, how the grain can help or hinder you, knots, joinery, and knowing how to cut something. The real hard part is having the creativity.

While I may be slow in the creativity department, I built tons of kitchens, bookshelves and about 20 half pipes during my skating years, so I learned really fast on how to bend wood.

I have yet to do anything really artsy, but I have to quarantine for 2 weeks on Monday so maybe I'll build something! I definitely would like to do some inlays with turquoise or tourmaline. We have a lot of it and I have some walnut slabs and other miscellaneous wood around the house. Kinda getting excited thinking about it!

See ya next time.