Vermont Woodworking School Graduate Exhibit

FINISHED

Vermont Woodworking School Graduate Show

May 2015

FINISHED

Vermont Woodworking School Graduate Show

Burlington, VT

Designed by: Ashlin Ballif

Graduate's of the Vermont Woodworking School Wooden Creations Frog Hollow Gallery Presents a Group Exhibit Featuring Original Works by Former Students of the First Vermont State Craft Education Center

Frog Hollow is pleased to welcome the Vermont Woodworking School (VWS) into the gallery for a month-long exhibit titled Finished work by Vermont Woodworking School graduates, who are permeating the landscape and influencing Vermont's design aesthetic. Vermont is experiencing a renaissance and recommitment to crafted, utilitarian wooden objects, and VWS graduates are a significant part of this rebirth. View, touch and experience their finished work at this special May show. VWS, established in 2007, has 36 benches occupied by students in semester-based education programs. Students stay from one semester to four years. This show is focused on individuals who have completed their course of study with VWS.

In 2011 the VWS was accepted as the first Vermont State Craft Education Center under the newly redesigned designation. This exhibit marks the third collaboration between Frog Hollow and the VWS (two Vermont State Craft Centers under this designation) and it focuses on the breadth of skills students mastered in the schools various programs. Come see their work at Frog Hollow on the Marketplace in Burlington, VT, May 1 - June 1. There will be an opening night reception on May 1st, 5:00 -8:00p.m providing the chance to meet students and educators from VWS.

Andrew Gilmer Andrew began woodworking in 2010 while living in northern Japan, where he studied under the direction of a Japanese carpenter. Upon returning to the United States he received a formal education in the craft at the Vermont Woodworking School in Fairfax, VT. He designs and builds pieces guided by the principles of simplicity, asymmetry, and restraint-principles often found in traditional Japanese design.

He lets the natural character of the wood express itself and never attempts to make it look like something it is not.

His pieces are left natural or are simply finished with a hand rubbed mixture of tung oil and citrus.

Kanji Lantern NFS The Kanji Lantern's base is made of tapered laminated cherry and is inspired by Japanese calligraphy. Kanji are the adopted Chinese characters that along with Hiragana and Katakana make up the modern Japanese writing system.

The lantern is made from Vermont White Ash and mulberry bark paper. The lantern's shape is inspired by Shinto architecture. The handle is designed after the Torii. The gate at the entrance of a Shinto Shrine that marks the transition from the profane to the sacred.

The piece is finished with tung oil.

David Lewis

David Lewis’s interest in woodworking began when he took a weekend furniture building class at the Vermont Woodworking School in 2013. He loved it and subsequently spent the next year and a half at the school learning the craft and realizing his talent and passion. He created Lewis Woodshop LLC this year and is currently in a collective shop at the Vermont Woodworking School.

David makes simple yet elegant furniture that has a strong emphasis on function. He takes great pride in his work and truly enjoys the process of taking lumber from the mill and turning it into a fine piece of handcrafted furniture that will be around for generations.

Jesse Fox

Jesse Fox grew up in southern Vermont and moved to Vermont Woodworking School to further his skills and learn new techniques in crafting unique wooden objects. Her prefers to make creature or plantlike forms over the traditional styles of furniture. He hopes to continue exploring his creative side in the near future.

The Dust Trap NFS This sculptural lamp consists of over 500 individual poplar and douglas fir pieces. Jesse wanted to explore the creation of a unified texture consisting of multiple carved scalelike objects. Not resembling anything specific in nature, he felt that the combination of an organic form with an overlapping texture would result in something familiar yet never seen before.

Joel Byrne

Joel Byrne first developed his love for woodworking while building furniture after-hours in a cabinet shop in Colorado. From there, he spent countless hours designing and building various things in a make-shift shop in his garage. Following his time in the Marine Corps, Joel and his family moved to Vermont so he could attend the Vermont Woodworking School in Fairfax, Vermont. Joel enjoys building furniture that is unique, yet simple in design.

He is drawn to furniture with beautiful curves and clean lines. Following the completion of his training at the Vermont Woodworking School, Joel and his family will be returning to Colorado where he plans to start his own business building custom fine furniture.

Simply Exposed Bowfront Dresser $4500

The vision for this dresser was born out of a desire to build a simply-designed, yet visually unique case. Joel explored various ways to push the limits of his straightforward design by adding an external frame and bowing the front of the dresser. He used cherry for the case and drawers, and jatoba for the frame and drawer pulls. Besides the time-intensive 164 handcut dovetails that can be found on the dresser, the most challenging part of this piece was the process of joining the frame to the case.

This piece has been entered into the Fresh Wood National Competition. As a result it will not be available until August although it can be reproduced to order.

Steve Robinson

Steven M. Robinson is a native Vermonter, a National Hardwood Lumber Association graduate with a Forest Technician degree from Paul Smiths College.

He studied at the Vermont Wood Working School in a 1-year Immersion course of studies and has recently been accepted to the Vermont Guild of Furniture Makers.

Quilted Cherry Night Stand NFS

My ideal goal is to create traditional, arts and crafts style furniture with not only a strong emphasis on hand work and detail, but a careful selection of highly figurative woods to help enhance the beauty of each piece.

Tyler Gebhardt

My work combines traditional joinery and craftsmanship with modern day ideas and design, which allows me to explore new ideas and possibilities. I thoroughly enjoy challenging projects and developing ways to achieve success with them. I am constantly trying new methods and projects in order to further my knowledge of the woodworking world.

Weight of Time Clock $1950 The Weight of Time was designed and built with the intention to arouse curiosity and humor. If you look at the clock, it looks as if it used to stand straight upwards and over time it gradually leans as age and time has progressed. Thus the name, "The Weight of Time". The clock is fully functional and also sounds out the hours.

Pat Ford-Torrani

For Pat Ford-Torrani, it is all about the process. Each piece is faithfully made in the tradition of craft with a whispered conversation between honed hand-tools and carefully selected branches or boards. Each stroke of the knife peels between the growth rings, each a memorial of a tree’s survival, seasons passed, guiding the tool into revealing its final form.

Measured Movements

Spoons - $95 ea., Scoops-$65 ea., Citrus Juicers-$50 ea.,

Salad Tong set-$120, Bowl- $120, Large Plates-$85 ea., Small Plates-$75 ea., Lazy Suzan-$300, Shelf -$150, Comb -$65 The preservation of our memories are not measured in bits of data but in the hand chosen objects of your home. These companions of our daily rituals and special occasions accumulate a mass, measured in moments, imparted over a lifetime and hopefully cherished enough to be pass on.

Sylas Navar

Sylas Navar began his formal study of fine woodworking with Gary Rogowski at his school Northwest Woodworking School in Portland, Oregon. From there he attended The Vermont Woodworking School in Fairfax, Vermont. He is inspired by the Asian aesthetic, specifically traditional Chinese joinery methods.

He strives to pay attention to the spirit of the wood through the application of this craft. Sylas is the owner of Ironwood Artistry LLC and builds custom furniture in a collective shop at the Vermont Woodworking School.

Two Rivers Meeting

Walnut Tea Table - $1000 Set of 2 Chairs - $1400 In Chinese Daoism there is a saying, “All rivers flow into the sea,� reminding us to return to our original nature. This tea table was designed for the intimate gathering of friends to enjoy the ancient culture of tea. Enjoying tea with friends offers a break from the busyness of life and the opportunity to bring the mind firmly into the present moment to enjoy simple pleasures, two rivers meeting as one.

Participating Students: Joel Byrne Pat Ford Jesse Fox Tyler Gebhardt Andrew Gilmer David Lewis Sylas Navar Timothy J. Peters Steve Robinson

85 Church Street Burlington, VT 2015 www.froghollow.org