Windgate-Lamar Fellowship
2022
Guided by traditional material and processes, using contemporary industrial furniture design methods, I am a craftsman. My work blends my lived experiences with my craft-design interests. Using non-literal representations, my furniture seeks to reflect my personal memories in subtle fashions. These can be found in the details, materials and profiles that I use. Staying curious in the present, I am constantly reminded of where I come from, which guides where my work goes. I have a unique story to tell and am constantly evolving toward an authentic voice from which my pieces aim to exhibit. From foster youth to veteran adulthood, I have overcome many trials and tribulation. Telling my story in a palatable manner, I work to implement my lessons and memories into my craftwork. First sketching through ideas and thinking of ways I can make functional furniture from them. Then puzzling through the design and craft process to execute those ideas into tangible objects. There are many creative outlets I could have channeled my creativity into but furniture has a special place to me. Furniture is something we interact with everyday. It is art, yet functional. It elevates living spaces which elevate living people. It brings back memories and helps facilitate new ones. It's physical & emotional. It's ugly. It's sexy. It's engaging. My pieces on a superficial level, hope to display aesthetic beauty, but further investigation would reveal my niche story and elicit deeper curiosity.