Featured Artist- Brian Hubel

Brian Hubel takes a unique approach to his furniture. He strives to create work that can not only be a practical and functional, but also be a work of art that reflects style and integrity.

"It should be graceful, yet strong, something you never tire of viewing." He says.

Brian derives great satisfaction from designing and creating his furniture by hand, and much of his inspiration comes from the materials he uses. He enjoys working with clients on custom pieces and working with them to find the design and functionality they desire. He also is concerned about his impact on the environment.

All of the work Brian creates is designed and constructed to last a lifetime, and with proper care, it can certainly last much longer. He believes that creating such pieces is truly a "green" approach. In today's disposable society, creating items that will not be thrown away or loose their appeal in a few years is something to be noted. Brian also creates furniture using salvaged wood from various sources, and will use FSC certified materials when available. Scrap wood that is not reused in his shop is donated or used in residential heating, and the sawdust is recycled as compost or animal bedding.

"We seek to reuse, renew, and recycle," he says, "all while providing our clients only the best in design, form, and function and a piece of furniture that will last for generations to come."

More of Brian's work can be seen in his gallery.

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Featured Artist- Dale Larson

Dale Larson is a Pacific Northwest wood turner whose craft and artistry has allowed him to travel all over the world. An active member of the AAW (American Wood Turners Association), Dale delights in sharing his knowledge and skill with professionals and amateurs alike. Many active wood turners have named Dale as one of their mentors and a continuing source of inspiration.

Dale values local resources to find his wood. He often drives around, looking at trees and thinking where the best bowl could be turned out of the wood. Most of the wood he turns is from trees that might otherwise end up as firewood or just discarded. He likes to be connected to the environment in this way, knowing the tree that each bowl comes from.

Dale's wood bowls are as close to being perfectly turned as can be done by hand. They are balanced, flawlessly finished and pleasing to the eye. Many of his bowls are also functional and make great salad and serving vessels, yet avid collectors would never dream of using them for anything more than decorative art.

More of Dale's work can be seen in his gallery.

You can also read an article about the AAW by Dale on our blog here.

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Featured Artist- Brad Gallahar

Brad Gallahar, working from his Whidbey Island , WA workshop, designs and builds studio furniture that celebrates the strength and durability of the materials without sacrificing beauty or functionality.

Brad spent many years apprenticed and working with master artisan David Gray, eventually branching out into his own designs and studio. No detail is lost in his hand constructed pieces, from the initial design to the durable finish.

Brad's furniture is both technically masterful and pleasing to the eye. He successfully translates the Arts and Crafts aesthetic into a contemporary style. He loves working with complimentary woods and combining both American hardwoods such as Cherry with the more rare and exotic woods such as Koa.

The construction of his work, from the carefully selected veneers to the intricate dovetails, attests to the attention he pays to the quality of construction and thoughtful design.

More of Brad's work can be seen in his gallery.

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Artist- Martha Collins

The first time Martha saw the Pacific Northwest, she knew it was to be her home. The natural beauty of Lost Mountain has inspired her work since then.

Martha has been a professional woodworker all her life. She has always had a passion to create personal and unique art that is both beautiful and functional.

Her current works include jewelry, tableware and bowls, many of which combine many different woods and colored veneers. Each piece she creates is unique labor of love, from hand dying the veneer, to selecting the best quality sustainable hardwoods. As many as 1000 different pieces or more can be combined to make items such as her mosaic bracelets.

Martha currently is on the faculty of the Port Townsend School of Woodworking, and enjoys finding new woods she can incorporate into her unique designs.

More of Martha's work can be seen in her gallery.

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Artist- Milo Mirabelli

Milo Mirabelli, a Washington native, had a great love of the arts from a very early age. He was always creating things, visiting museums and imagining new concepts and new uses for different materials.

His early retirement as an independent designer/fabricator of automated packing plants and equipment opened a new world for him to explore his creative side. His current work shop is divided into a wood sculpture and a metal shop, thus allowing him the ability to fabricate whatever object the current creation requires. Having this space frees him up to imagine new ideas and try new designs.

Milo 's work is one of a kind; some pieces are functional, some are purely objects to be enjoyed. He prefers to use recycled and renewable resources, and will combine techniques and materials as needed. His finished pieces often have a very tactile quality, with different textures and colors, sometimes marrying materials in a way that the viewer wonders “how did he do that?”

One of the most delightful aspects of Milo 's work is his obvious sense of humor. Although the design and execution is very skilled - to the point of being serious work- the finished pieces are a delight to the eye and are often downright playful. You get the feeling that the artist is having fun with both the work, and the response he might get from the viewer.

More of Milo's work can be seen in his gallery.

Artist -Roger Dunn

Roger Dunn started woodworking at an early age and began turning wood when he inherited an old wood lathe from his father. After ten years sitting unused, he decided to give the lathe a try, only to discover that there was a lot to learn about wood turning.

After much time and a new lathe, Roger soon found that he was addicted to turning wood. It's not just the act of turning the wood on the lathe, but the whole process of salvaging wood and making something beautiful out of it.

"The addiction of turning includes the thrill at getting a phone call from someone with a downed tree; traveling to see the wood, seeing promising blanks in the log, cutting it up with a chainsaw and harvesting the promising blanks, the journey back to the studio with the new found treasures..." he says. The final reward comes from hearing his customers approval and admiration of what he created from the downed tree.

More of Roger's work can be seen in his gallery.