Artist Biography

Andrew Pitts is a self-taught studio furniture maker with 35 years experience. His prior career in the navy as a nuclear engineer unexpectedly prepared him for success as a designer. The discipline necessary to command three warships and operate aircraft carrier nuclear reactors translated into an astute attention to detail and pursuit of perfection.

He has built his workshop, complete with sawmill and solar drying kiln in the secluded forests of Northumberland County, Virginia. A committed steward of the environment, he uses pre-fallen hardwoods local to the studio, harvesting, milling and drying them himself. His design approach is to celebrate the wood's inherent beauty, respecting its imperfections and variations. He uses only clear finishes, avoiding stains that might mask the grain. One can recognize a Pitts design by the grace of its curves, exquisitely matched grain patterns, exacting joinery and meticulous finishing.

Pitts' furniture has been featured in numerous exhibitions, has garnered more than a dozen awards, and appears in "Studio Furniture: Today's Leading Woodworkers". He is an active member of several local Virginia artists' associations and the (national) Furniture Society. He lectures widely on woodworking and welcomes opportunities for presentations.