The ‘Ocean’s Edge’ dining table is part of an ongoing body of work utilizing a CNC router to digitally sculpt oceanic waveforms moving across planar wood surfaces. The undulating surface that rises out of and dips into the center of the table was developed in CAD by ‘lofting’ a sequence of tide curves sourced from the entrance of the San Francisco Bay.

Year Completed: 2012

Materials: Sugar Maple, Black Walnut, Water-Based Stains and Finishes

Dimensions: 56" Ø x 30" h

If you are interested in how this table was made, you can view a slideshow of the Fabrication Process in a separate post.

Using various CAD surface evaluation tools, each of these unique images was constructed from very similar base geometry. While one might be rendered visible in a certain perspective using a random color generator to fill in specific patches of the surface model, another might take advantage of reflection mapping to bounce an image of a sunset off the surface creating an entirely different composition and tonal effect. I saw this body of work as a way to begin experimenting with the 3D CAD engineer’s toolbox, to develop a generative body of work. 

Year Completed: 2012

Materials and Equipment: CAD Software, Mesh Surface Algorithm in Grasshopper, Laser-Engraver, Large Format InkJet Printer

Dimensions: Variable

By combining a sensual material like wood, with advanced lighting and networking technology, I aimed to create an open-source digital mood light that begs for interaction on multiple levels. In designing a form for the lights, I wanted users to have the ability to either place the lights individually in various rooms around their house, or stack them in large arrays in a single location. Rare-earth magnets installed inside of each wooden case facilitates stacking, and the satisfying ‘magnetic click’ makes it fun. High-powered lithium-polymer batteries, and high efficiency LEDs will keep the units charged for weeks, but when needed, a charging jack in the back will accept a standard iphone charger.

Year Completed: 2011

Materials: Black Walnut, White Ash, RGB Color-Changing LEDs, Arduino Micro-Controller, XBee Bluetooth Wireless, LiPo Battery, Rare-Earth Magnets, iPhone, Wax Finish

Dimensions (L x W x H): 4" x 4" x 2"

Inspired by the ever changing tides, and fascinated by how this unique stream of weather data is displayed as beautiful flowing curves across my screen, I wanted to research and explore this phenomenon ‘graphically’ on a series of furniture pieces.

Each line represents a two-day cycle of tides measured off the coast (December, 2008) near San Francisco. I chose to overlay the 15 ‘mapped’ tidal curves, to give a sense of the daily change and rhythmic chaos that seems to occur in the Pacific durning the month of December.

Year Completed: 2009

Materials: Walnut, Laser-Etched Bamboo, Aluminum Hardware, Polyurethane Finish (Water-Based)

Dimensions (L x W x H): 60" x 18" x 29"

Exhibited in Milan, Italy as part of a (RISD) group exhibition titled Transformations, the 'Terra Lamp' was created as part of a larger design experiment aimed at transforming iconic everyday items beyond their known contexts. The ellipsoidal lamp hangs from an 1/8” steel cable, weighs approximately seventy five pounds, and is intended to be shipped flat as a kit of parts and assembled on-site.

Year Completed: 2011

Materials: 190 – Terra Cotta Flower Pots, Powder-Coated Steel, Brass Lamp Hardware

Dimensions: Ø 26.5" x 20.5" h (Individual Pots are 2 3/4” h)

The Peble Desk was created for a client that wanted a sculptural, yet relatively compact computer workstation for her new home office. A few constraints that guided our design were an easy to maintain glass surface, a pull-out keyboard tray, and built-in cord management. Instead of looking through the glass to the keyboard tray and all of the unsightly wires, I decided to inlay a cherry veneer panel in the bottom of the frame. The shape of the desk was loosely inspired by a polished river rock and is meant to be touched.

Year Completed: 2013

Materials: Black Cherry, Polished and Tempered Glass, Water-Based Polyurethane Finish

Dimensions (L x W x H): 48" x 22.5" x 30"

The fact that I could purchase five dining chairs at IKEA tomorrow for less money than I would spend on the raw materials to build a single chair in my shop got me thinking... Living in an age of hyper-cheap big box consumer products, might there be a creative opportunity to adopt these low-cost, watered-down objects as the starting point for unique artistic output and intervention? And in the future, how might the rise of upcycled objects in the art/design marketplace change our notions of what we consider to be a raw material?

The IKEA Raw project aimed to answer these very questions. After selecting what I thought was a pleasant array of ceramic cups, plates, bowls, and serving platters from my local IKEA store, I generated a series of graphic patterns to print onto LaserJet decal paper. Due to the fact that laser printers have high levels of iron in the ink, when the decals are applied to the dishes and they are fired in a kiln, the graphics are permanently transferred into the body of the original glaze. 

Year Completed: 2012

Materials: IKEA 365 Dishes, Laser-Jet Printer, Decal Paper, Kiln

Dimensions: Variable

An experimental collection of stoneware pottery, exploring the textures and patterns observed while walking on the beach at low-tide.

Date Completed: 2009

Materials: Clay, Glaze (Stoneware - Cone 6)

Dimensions: Variable

I set out to create a fresh visual and tactile experience that aims to inspire unique interactions between multiple users. Inspired by high performance bridge structures, the design of both bench variations hinge on the two rib-like tapered laminations that form, either the rocker style base, or the top rails.

First, a series of thin wooden planks were created using a special tapering jig in a thickness planer, and then the individual laminations are glued together over a curved form. Then, the remainder of the wooden components were cut out on a bandsaw and table saw and traditional pegged mortise and tenon joinery was added at each juncture. After sanding and finishing the wooden sub-structure, the metal components were fabricated to form the seat assembly. The last step was wrapping the sailing rope around the metal rod or laser-cut sheet to form a flexible and comfortable seating surface. 

Year Completed: 2012

Materials: Black Cherry, Laser-Cut and Powder-Coated Steel, Stainless Steel Hardware, Polyester Rope, Hand-Rubbed Oil/Polyurethane/Wax Finish

Dimensions (L x W x H): 68" x 18" x 18"

Thinking of how hand-thrown pottery often warps slightly as it is fired in a kiln, I created a unique process that distorts the initial intended perimeter shape of these small end tables at random within a certain range. Through the creative development and use of generative algorithms, I am intentionally leaving the door open for a bit of chance to seep into the digital design and fabrication process.

Year Completed: 2011

Materials: Sugar Maple or Stained Plywood, Glass, Water-Based Finish

Dimensions (L x W x H): 20" x 20" (Variable) x 17.5"