101 BRODERICK

I finally finished the very last touches for the lobby remodel at 101 Broderick in San Francisco! I Built two sculptures from Koa and Western White Cedar, that are actually reconfigurations of the same shapes (almost).  The added dynamic of the cast shadow was for me a delightful enhancement upon installation.  Note the contrast of the rough cut cedar with the smooth finish of the Koa.

ASH COFFEE TABLE

This design for a coffee table was commissioned by my brother-in-law.  It is a two-tiered table with a tapered surface and legs.  Also, the tenons from the legs come through the table top an 1/8 of an inch showing the joinery and creating a distinct design element. 

THE AMERICAN CLASSROOM CHAIR #17

The remaking of these chairs came about as the result of a spontaneous rummaging through the dumpster of Grattan Elementary School in my neighborhood of Cole Valley.  The old wooden laminations for the seat and back support were completely deteriorated, and the metal frames were bent out of shape.  Noticing the sleek vintage style of these presumably 1950's era classroom chairs, I took it upon myself to repair and partially redesign them into an elegant dining-room chair.  I built two separate molds in order to re-laminate the seat and back support, and then used clamps to bend the frame back to it's normal orientation.   The frame was spray painted with a matte black and the laminations were both oiled with "California Oil Finish" (a recipe inherited from Art Carpenter), with the exception that one of the chairs was painted in cerulean blue before being oiled.

1910 OLYMPIC BLVD. IN WALNUT CREEK

These sculptures were a thrill to make.  Each individual shape was initially free handed on the band-saw, with no preconceived ideas of how they might turn out, before they were sculpted and assembled together.  They are now on permanent display in the lobby of a commercial building in Walnut Creek. 

WHIRLYBIRD

This piece was featured on the postcard for College Night at the De Young and displayed in the main lobby of the museum on November 14th, 2008.  It is a kinetic wood sculpture that allows for the top portion to rotate 360 degrees, changing the dynamic of the piece depending on it's orientation.  The materials used are redwood for the base and poplar and acrylic for the sculpture.

Sculpture on display in Buenos Aires, Argentina

This is one of two sculptures I built last February in Buenos Aires, but left the country before I ever had a chance to see on display.  My friend Ernesto (Japo) and I worked everyday for two weeks in a funky shop in the outskirts of BA using only recycled materials and whatever tools happened to be lying around.  Suffice to say it was a challenging experience that I will never forget.

BAMBOO TABLE

I recently completed a remodel of the lobby of an apartment building at 101 Broderick and Haight in San Francisco.  It was a completely new and challenging experience for me that had several ups and downs throughout.  But in the end, I was happy with the final result, and had the opportunity to design and build two additions for the lobby.  The first was a long and narrow lobby table and the second was a simple but elegant mirror frame.  Both the mirror and the table were built from high quality plyboo left over from wall panelling.