Model Making For The AD Show And A Commission
I broke out my trusty model making tools today to help me design two new pieces. The tools include the hot melt glue gun and a tube of krazy glue. This session did not start out on the right foot. I had a defective tube of glue. It took forever to dry, about half an hour- thats not Krazy at all!
I got a new tube and I then stepped over tot he bandsaw to make some curves. I am a woodworker so the moquettes are made of the same hardwoods that i would use to make the actual piece of furniture. This should give an idea of how I cut the bent parts out of a solid block of wood. I wish the actual bend was as easy!
Here I have the curves that i will need for two different pieces. One of them is a commission for a major outdoor piece. The other is going to be a hall table.
Below you can see the hall table as it is evolving. The work is detailed and results in a certain amount of satisfaction. It is not quite as fulfilling as building the actual piece but it is pretty good feeling for sure.
Here are the results shot to make them look as if they were real pieces. This helps me evaluate them in a different way.
This hall table is being built for my own collection of furniture. It should bridge the gap while I wait for approval on the other piece. I have built one glass topped hall table which I just shipped to a gallery in Sarasota Florida, J. Kaplan Contemporary Art. I am beginning to think about the work that i will need for the Architectural Digest Home Show, Made Section, in New York City. I am going to build the table out of Maple, not the Sapele that the model is made out of. I think I want a lighter palette for the show in NYC.
This piece is going to be a challenge from start to finish. The people commissioning this piece had the vision to want me to adapt one of my best pieces for outdoor use. This is so gutsy that I doubt I ever would have come to this on my own. I am very excited about the project which will also include a stepping stool and concrete pads to make the transition to the ground.
I am waiting on materials for the hall table. Then it is off to the races.
By Nico Yektai -New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information
