Cleaving wood into furniture
- Adrian creates one-off pieces of furniture and artwork
- He explores basic craft processes with a fresh approach
- His pieces are designed in the making
Adrian McCurdy is an artist with a deep knowledge of woodworking. His father was a master carpenter, with an outstanding technique. His brother runs a timber frame building company that built, among other things, the glorious Globe Theatre in London. Adrian learnt a lot from them, as well as from other encounters during his life, but his interest in craftsmanship has always been more artistic. Educated as a sculptor, he turned to woodworking after being a painter for 15 years, when a casual event with his father showed him a new direction, exploring what he calls a "fundamental craft technique." Most of his one-off pieces are first cleft from large logs of timber using a wedge-and-mallet, and when seasoned are then designed and made with exceptional creative freedom.
Interview
- Who were your masters?
- I had two main influences in my life. One was my father, and everything he taught me about woodworking. His technique was more refined than mine. The other driver in my work is my own artistic urgency: my approach to the craft is eminently exploratory.
- When did you decide to dedicate yourself to woodworking?
- I had already been a painter for 15 years, when visiting my father we took a local walk together. I found a large oak log, and he challenged me to cleave it with him, transforming it into large wedges. I was fascinated by that process and decided to explore it.
- Is that what you mean when you talk of fundamental craft technique?
- Cleaving a log is an elementary process that allows you to obtain large pieces of wood, with the simplest of hand tools. There are functional benefits as well, but my interest in the technique is more artistic. I work wood as a sculptor: my pieces are designed as they're being made.
- What do you create?
- All my pieces are one-off, be it essential furniture pieces like stools and benches or proper artworks like my carved wall panels. I enjoy my creative freedom, exploring first and foremost the interaction between shapes and wood grain.
Adrian McCurdy is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1992
Where
Adrian McCurdy
