Dining Table #5
Cast Concrete and Sapele 30”H x 108”L x 42”W

Bench #7 From Series #2
Cast Concrete 18″H x 68″W x 17″D

Dining Table #5 represents a moment of transition in my work. I was forced to refine my understanding of the material in order to cast the table top. I read everything that I could on GFRC concrete. GFRC stands for glass fiber reinforced concrete. The resulting concrete is about 10,000psi with the ability to be cast quite thin. My style with concrete adds a wrinkle that effects the mix design…I like to be able to cut into the concrete with saws and grinders to change the shape of a casting. I need this freedom to make the table one-of-a-kind.

Technical issues are only part of the story, on to the composition! I always make models when I am involved in a large piece with many challenges. I knew that I wanted the table to be paired with Bench #7 From Series #2 so I pulled out the scale model for that bench. There were a few things that I had resolved on paper before getting this far. I knew that the Table would be cast in two halves making the piece sort of manageable. I also knew that I would be using the seam as part of the design. The scale model quickly evolved. The asymmetrical shaping of the top was going to be locked into the casting form. I would use the thickness of the edge to introduce spontaneity into each table.

The shape of the top suggested that I design a stool to accompany the table. Two per each end work wonderfully well.

I decided to take the time to design a second base out of wood. I am yet to build it but i think that it has a lot of potential, especially for indoor use.

I am very pleased with the way the cable came out. The legs are truly massive, but the relief cuts help them transcend their visual weight. This is just a visual trick- they weigh over 450 pounds per leg! The intricacy of the cast legs flow into the hourglass shape of the concrete top. The angled movements come together at the seam, which is also angled.

The shaping of the edge uses the center line as a moment. The result is quite unusual for concrete!

I recently completed two versions of the new Planter #9. The name correctly implies that these are the ninth installment in the ongoing series of creative garden containers. This composition revolves around the notion of delicacy. Cement board has allowed me to replicate the look of concrete in a very thin package. The result is a pair of planters that terminate at acute points creating a dialogue unlike any of my previous offerings. The rest of the composition erupts into two very different containers. One is long and low and gently gets taller. The other is not as long but it erupts in a curved thrust to a much higher altitude. Together the pair move the eye from one end to the other bridging the gap between them.

I should mention that the wooden corners serve to connect the disparate materials together and they become an essential part of the visual composition. Needless to say i have taken the opportunity to introduce tremendous variation into the woodwork through the use of my signature shifting and faceting.

Planters #9 in construction

Planters #9 in the Southampton Press

Introducing the Aether bench. Presented in Maple with Stainless Steel brackets. The bench is designed to be apartment sized at a sleek 60″ long with a 13″ deep seat. The gestural back features a lumbar curve to match the comfort of the curved seat.   

This bench evolved out of the system that i had developed for the shifted Slab Bench. he legs are composed in a very free manner which helps to establish the unique energy of the piece. This bench will be different every times that i make it in keeping with my interesting one-of-a-kind furniture.

This image shows the bench in an early stage prior to any of the shaping.

Curves and facets are beginning to refine the composition. The piece evolves in an organic way that is characteristic of my hands on approach to composition.