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Arts & Entertainment

Studio Design: Contemporary Furniture

Craft Alliance (CA) is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition Studio Design: Contemporary Furniture, on Friday, February 10, 2012 from 6pm 8pm at CA’s gallery in the Kranzberg Arts Center. The exhibition, which runs through April 8, explores the art of contemporary furniture design. The works of Kimberly Winkle, Brian Ferrell, and Matt Keim feature abstract forms, colorful surfaces, and combined materials while maintaining their functionality as interior objects.

An element of play is evident in the subtly colored furniture designs of Kimberly Winkle. Hand drawn patterns in graphite and paint complement her gently rounded and smooth wooden forms. Kimberly transitions from complex swirls of lines and dots to the simplicity of bare wood in order to highlight the natural beauty of woods such as cherry or mahogany, while enhancing the surface quality of poplar with her mark making.

Brian Ferrell emphasizes clean lines and tapered angles to create compositions in wood and metal. His sculptures employ a repetition of shape and line to guide the viewer’s eye in and around an interplay of domestic and exotic woods such as paduak and walnut, steel cables, and pewter surfaces.

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A CA instructor, artist, and local woodturner, Matt Keim has been experimenting with wood for over thirty years. “I find it magical to stand in front of a lathe and watch long thin ribbons of wood fly over my shoulder, exposing a form within,” explains Matt.  “I try to expose the beauty of the piece I am working on by defining the shape to show the grain pattern in all its glory.”

In conjunction with Studio Design: Contemporary Furniture, Kimberly Winkle will lead a workshop, Turning Duplicate Candlesticks and The Magic of Milk Paint, on Saturday, February 11, from 10am – 5pm at CA in the Kranzberg Arts Center. In this workshop, students will design and create a template for turning duplicate candlesticks, a technique that can be applied to making multiple items such as stool legs, chair rungs, or banister railings. In addition to turning a matched pair of candlesticks, students will explore the possibilities of Milk Paint on wood. Tuition is $154 ($138 for members).

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