" When bankers get together for dinner, they discuss Art. When artists get together for dinner, they discuss money." Oscar Wilde

Up until 2010 for nearly 30 years I have been actively making custom furniture for a company that catered to the hospitality industry. Hotels, bars, resturants, tables, hostess stations and custom built-ins.

I was lead woodworker for more than 15 years and have taught the craft to many with much satisfaction. I've designed, sold and created many built-ins and custom kitchens on my own. It's been a productive 30 years.

In December 2009 the company I worked for ceased to exist and I became one of the many people without a job. Unlike others I was excited to write the next chapter of my life.

The last five years I have been facinated with making "one of a kind" wooden chairs mostly out of re-claimed and found woods. I call them Circa Chairs. The chairs made me realize the difference between craft and art. A crafted piece is usally made for a specific reason and place requiring exact measurements , flawless materials and is usally designed by someone else or worse a computer.

Making Art is a whole different entity. Although I use all the skills I have aquired in the making of craft, in Art there are no plans, expected outcomes, deadlines or paychecks. The absence of that rigid procedure is the dope that fuels the high and now that I've tasted what it is to make art,my destiny is more defined.

In a nutshell that's where I'm at. I have a years worth of work completed ( over 100 chairs) and am looking forward to getting them into homes.

I have alot of positive experience in collaborating with other artists and feel strength in numbers will help put art to the forefront where it belongs.


My current idea is to barter half of my chairs for other's art of equal value to enable me to soon open up a fine art gallery. Any help you good folks can give me in this endeavor will be greatly appreciated. I will be outlining this pursuit in my next blog.I believe the art community has the collective best human spirit there ever was and truly think that together artists can move the world in a much more positive direction.

Patti Roberts Pizzuto from http://missouribendpaperworks.blogspot.com has already been actively highlighting other artists on her blog. Patti sees the power of community and is setting a great example of what it's going to take for all of us to continue to create art. Thank You Patti, way to go!!

Thank you all for your continued support,
Peace,
Scott

" It isn't so much what's on the table that matters, as what's on the chairs." William S. Gilbert

   My new "Chaotic Poetry" chairs are amongst my favorites. 50,000 board feet of lumber in five years had to go through my hands to make these four chairs. .....Here is a best guess at what 50,000 bf looks like.

   The words, numbers and letters sometimes come on the edge of a stick of lumber. They are rare because on a huge stack of 1000 bf. it will appear on one or two boards on the outer edge, if any appear at all. Hence the five years.
   I really like the look of these chairs, so simple yet complicated, just like their construction. I also admire the rareness and the authenticity of these beauties. I am putting them up for sale at $550.00 a piece but think they should be kept in a set of four like siblings. I will sell the set for $1,800.00 to keep them together.

    My intentions for this blog is to share with you my creative growth hoping that if I stray from being true to my art you will tell me so I might adjust. I firmly believe it takes a village to raise a child and the same goes for an artist.
   Thank you so much for your continued support. Till next Sunday, dream big and never settle!!
  Scott

" Happiness lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." Vincent Van Gogh

         I present to you " The Architect." My goal with this chair was to get in the mind of an architect. I confess I don't know alot about the subject. My daughter Sasha is in her third year at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, studying to become an architect. We've had many design conversations and I have seen her elaborate building models to secure the confidence to make this chair.
        One of my goals was to use multiple elements. Six species of woods, four metals, and white  plexiglass.Some I'm familiar with some I'm not.
        Many thoughts entered my mind in pursuing this project. I am giving this chair to Sasha for her 21st birthday so her acceptance is paramount, for the chair will surely  out live me. I was leery of over thinking the project but about five hours in I was raring to go and I let my design instincts take over.

      The bird in flight represents the constant commitment and passion Sasha displays toward her craft. May she continue to soar to great heights!
      I am very proud of the outcome and believe it was a positive growing experience for me.
      Thank you for your continued support, I'll see you next Sunday,
      Scott

" The artist is not a reporter, but a Great Teacher. It is not his business to depict the world as it is, but as it ought to be" H.L. Mencken

Waiting

This week I find myself struggling to survive. The big show has been up for two weeks with another four to go. Patience is the game at the moment and with failure not being an option, I'll stay the course. I am working on new chairs and hope to post them before next Sunday. One is a chair that I am becoming very proud of, it's complexities are refreshing and keep my mind on creating. The chair is for my daughter that is in her third year in college to be an architect. I find myself with many thoughts as I make this chair, thoughts of acceptance, thoughts of her having it long after my death and thoughts of urgency of completing it so I can display it at the show. I don't usually think about design as intensely as I am with this chair. Time will tell, I am enjoying the process.

I'd like to show you chairs from other artists in this blog because there's a lot of great art out there and I don't have anything new of my own.

One is this great blog I found  it had a mini chair show in August and thought it was way cool! I can't seem to get the link to work, it's minigalleryo- blog spot. I hope you check it out. Others are just cool random chairs I find here and there.........enjoy!

I had some other chairs that apparently didn't like a downloading so for today you'll have to live with these which are more humorous than fine art not including the first shot. I will get better at this blog game so please bear with me.
Thank you all for showing up it means alot to me.
Peace,
Scott

" If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door".......... Milton Berle

                                                         TIME MANAGEMENT
 
  There is 365 days in a year, that's 8760 hours. I ask you ; what are you going to do with your 8760 hours this year? 2920 hours you're going to be sleeping which leaves 5840 hours. Give yourself and your loved ones 4 hours a day which leaves you with 4380 hours, that's 12 hours a day. With a full time job realistically you have 4 hours a day to create, that's 28 hours per week.
  My goal with this blog is to show you what I accomplished art wise with that 28 hours per week. Sometimes I might come up short, but my goal is to constantly impress you with what I can accomplish in those 28 hours. A kind of checks and balance for my growth and existance......... Creating balance is my #1 priority in 2011
         
          Time to sleep.
          Time to work to pay bills.
          Time for my family and friends.
          Time for me to grow as an artist.
  I'm hoping this blog helps me in this goal.

  Next week I will be outlining my new ideas like wall boxes, poetry chairs, found objects sculptures and a new comtemporary chair inspired by Santago Calatrava. Check him out at http://calatrava.info.com/

                             THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME!
                                                 See you next Sunday!!
                                                         Peace,
                                                         Scott