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Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wonders of wood
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ROCKPORT — Deborah Weisgall, author and arts writer for The New York Times, has a theory about the arts and Maine. "The most intriguing thing about Maine is that you have enough solitude, so you really end up following your mind down whatever arcane path it wants to take you," she said. As an example, she references a mushroom-shaped table and chair set created by Camden woodworker Joseph Brewer. The unlikely piece of furniture is more for show than function, but that's beside the point. Weisgall, who spends her summers in Maine, believes it couldn't have been made anywhere but Maine. The artist clearly felt enough creative freedom to work unencumbered of public expectation or concern for peer pressure. "Here is someone who is just acting on impulse that probably you wouldn't do if you were in a place that imagined itself more sophisticated. It really is idiosyncratic," she said. At the same time, she added, Maine is home to many acknowledged woodworking masters, creating an environment that is rich in status and teeming with creativity - two attributes that do not necessarily always go easily together. But when they do, the results are brilliant, and that is what's happening now in Maine, at least related to the wood arts. Examples of Maine's mastery and mystery in wood are on display in the newly opened biennial in the Messler Gallery at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport. Curated by Weisgall, "Woodworkers of Midcoast Maine" will remain on exhibition through March 2. The show offers a snapshot of Maine's wood artists working within an approximate 50-mile radius of Rockport. The show includes 22 pieces by 19 makers, all selected by Weisgall for their excellence in design, craftsmanship and imagination. The range is vast. Unlike some states that are known for a certain style of work, Maine's wood artists are all over the map. Their exhibition includes examples of carving, turning, instrument making, furniture making and other types of work. Chris Burtis of Bath offers a reproduction of a Chippendale arm chair, rooted firmly in early-American tradition. J. Peter Schlebecker of Camden has a totemic and kinetic sculpture called "Balancing Act." The anthropomorphic piece - which includes a functional, tiny cabinet at the very top - comes alive when set in motion, bending and swaying at various joints but always in perfect balance. Schlebecker said he was inspired to make "Balancing Act" after watching his parents' reactions to his kids playing on a trampoline. Appleton wood turner Stephen Gleasner entered one of his vase-shaped vessels, a smallish piece called "Below the Surface" that appears so delicate and jewel-like that you might assume it was made from glass if you didn't know better. James Macdonald of Burnham created a wall cabinet faced with an immaculate marquetry illustration inspired by 19th-century theater posters that featured the female figure. He calls the piece "Renascence" as a tribute to Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was born and raised in Camden. WOODWORKERS' COLONY Peter Korn, executive director of the center, said the exhibition reflects the personalities of the burgeoning community of woodworkers who live in the midcoast region. Among them is Burtis, who makes reproductions of early-American furniture at his workshop in Bath. Trained at the North Bennett Street School in Boston's North End, Burtis prides himself on taking thoughtful, time-tested designs and improving them by adding a personal touch. A former boat builder and cabinet maker, Burtis has grown particularly fond of the workmanlike chair. He likes making chairs because of their universal function, but also because they offer challenges and opportunities. "They have to stand up to the most scrutiny. They have to look good, but they also have to feel good. They must be comfortable, but they also get the dirt beat out of them. People really use them," he said. That's the challenge - to make a chair that appeals to eye, back and buttocks but doesn't fall apart or weaken with age. Its legs get dragged on the floor, kicked and abused. Often taken for granted, the chair serves its function best when scooted under the table, away from view. Because he sells most of what he makes on a commission basis, Burtis doesn't keep much stock in his shop. But he has held on to the three pieces he was required to make at the North Bennett Street School. His dining room is home to a Queen Anne arm chair, a Chippendale desk and a side table with string inlay. All are gorgeous pieces with historical precedence that look like they could be 200 years old, but in fact were made less than a decade ago. Burtis grew up in Maryland and learned to appreciate early-American furniture at a young age through repeated field trips to museums and stately homes. In 1998, he enrolled at the North Bennett Street School, which teaches Colonial-era furniture making. Using that background as his base, Burtis has expanded his repertoire to include his own designs of contemporary work. "What I am doing it taking traditional forms and adding my own original style to it," he said. Since the opening of the Messler Gallery nearly two years ago, the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship has become a focal point for Maine's wood arts community. In addition to offering a place where artists can show their work, the gallery and center also serve as a gathering spot. TEACHING, GATHERING, CREATING Many of Maine's accomplished wood artists either teach at the center or have taken classes there, which in part explains why this part of the state has emerged as a haven for woodworkers, Korn said. Because the area already is home to many like-minded artists, it is a magnet for others interested in relocating. For the public, the gallery has become an entry point for the center and for fine woodworking. Rare is the exhibition space that is dedicated exclusively to furniture and wood crafts, especially in a rural area like Maine. People who appreciate fine wood art no longer have to travel to Boston, Philadelphia or other large U.S. cities to see examples of creative contemporary and traditional work, Korn said. When the gallery opened two years ago, its primary purpose was to showcase the work of the students enrolled at the center. That mission hasn't changed, but it has evolved, Korn said, in recognition of the popularity of exhibitions that feature work from Maine. Now that they have forcefully joined the larger art conversation, Maine's wood artists are getting to know one another. Gleasner, the Appleton wood turner, was among those who responded to an invitation by Camden wood artist Michael Roy to come over to his place to talk shop. Roy extended the invitation to artists whose work was shown in the gallery soon after it opened. "Here we were, all these people with so much in common and a lot of us didn't even know each other," said Gleasner. The informal sessions have continued, and Gleasner has found them instructive and inspirational. "There might be a demo, or a talk. Someone will get up and talk about, 'This is where I have been, here is where I am now, and this is how I work.' There is always something you will take away from it if it is good work and it excites you." Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:
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