Chip Carving

The first time I saw a photograph of Kristina Madsen’s Dining Chair (1993), I thought it was the most beautiful chair I had ever seen. Its intricate carving and striking design were inspirational to me. In 2007 the Furniture Society held a show at the Maltwood Gallery at UVIC in Victoria BC, as part of their annual conference and when I was invited to participate I knew it was the right opportunity to reproduce that chair. The theme of the show was, ‘Reflections of the Coastal Rainforest’, and I thought it fit in perfectly because of the rich tradition of carving by indigenous peoples of the West Coast. I chose to make my chair of local Yellow Cedar, which I ebonized afterwards.

While my chair is not an exact replica of the original, (which incidentally is part of the collection of the National Museum of American Art) I believe it is a close interpretation. Kristina Madsen is a master carver and furniture maker and her work is exquisite. I have always felt that if a craftsperson is able to create a copy of another person’s design and does a skillful job of it, it is a compliment to the original maker. I trust Ms.Madsen feels the same, as that was my intention.

KM Carved Chair- yellow cedar, crest rail

KM Carved Chair

Carved Chair - Ebonized Yellow Cedar

Carved Chair

I have gained a real appreciation for fine carving. While chip carving is relatively simple to learn, it can be demanding to sit for long hours with a steady eye and a sure hand. The accuracy of each cut is critical because any mistake will show up in the finished work. The chair reproduction was a very time consuming project – just drawing the design took many hours. I can’t imagine making a whole set of dining chairs! Subsequent projects where I have incorporated chip carving for textural, surface detail have been smaller in scale.

The Sunrise Tables are solid Arbutus, which is a very nice wood to carve.

Sunrise Side Tables - Arbutus wood

Sunrise Table - detail