OK, this has to be my best stool. I can’t keep my eyes off it. Proportions are just right, the seat so organically curved, the joints well formed and tight. It’s pretty perfect. And one leg (must be the back one in this photo) has the most beautiful open knot just above the knee. I was looking for the feel of the huge Torii gate at Miyajima Island, and didn’t hit too far off. None of the stools I’ve made were thought through in advance. I just cut the wood the way I like, and take what comes out. If I want more than one the same, I have to make all the parts at the same time. Kinda like reduction wood cuts, once you print the last sheet, that’s it — there’s no going back. Nonetheless, I have it in the back of my mind to try to re-create something like this stool again.
- Stool.25″ high
- sculpted seat
- lacquer finish
Stool, 1999, 25" high, cherry wood, lacquer finish (photo: Al Surratt)