Entangled, my life and art

Handcrafted, unique, wooden furniture and art for your home. I use bittersweet vines to create most of the pieces you see here. Bittersweet is an invasive vine that is destroying New England forests. I have permits from local towns and conservation groups to remove this vine in an ecological way. I use only mature vines and never disturb the berries (which could further spread these vines). Visit www.entangledfurnishings.com to see the pieces I offer for sale.

Unique Handcrafted Wood Chair

These hand made chairs are made using alder, maple, red osier dog wood and bittersweet. They are more throne than chair, a seat where Gandalf might rest. I make chairs from alder, maple, bittersweet, wisteria, red osier dogwood and willow. I have found that careful attention to the internal dimensions of the chair (the height and span of the arms and the curvature of the back) results in a chair that welcomes and engulfs the sitter. The challenge of fitting many different pieces together in just the right way requires many labor intensive hours. These chairs work well inside or on a covered porch.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Hand made wood and stone outdoor table

This unique wood and stone outdoor table is hand crafted from very mature bittersweet vines. I remove the vines with permission from conservation lands. This invasive vine kills native trees. When I make furniture with this invasive I feel I am creating meaningful beauty (helping protect the native forests while creating beautiful functional pieces for the home). The top is natural cleft bluestone, treated with a stone sealer. This protects it from spills while maintaining it's natural beauty.
It can be used as a BBQ table or a beautiful spot for your summer flowers.
Visit my web site www.entangledfurnishings.com for more information.

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Handcrafted pin cherry lamp

I use unusually shaped granite for the lamp base. To this granite I anchor the body of the lamp, which is two or three small pieces of pin cherry cut from saplings. Pin cherry bark is a deep burgundy and is accentuated by pale yellow striations. I make each lamp shade, often with a pale paper into which is embedded the body of leaves. I use small pin cherry branches to fashion the finial for each lamp. I chose a black shade for this lamp which lends an elegance to the piece. I finish each lamp with three coats of satin marine spar varnish, which gives a permanent luster to the bark.

The Old Manse in gingerbread

My work

The deep appreciation for the beauty of wood and stone that drives my current work is a mature version of the joy and sense of mystery I felt as a child when I played in the woods. Each chair, table, bench or arbor that I create is one of a kind, just as the trees and vines themselves are unique.

While each piece is different, I begin each in the same way: I go into the woods. I spend hours looking for the right vines and branches of the proper species with the shape, color and texture that will permit me to construct the object that is forming in my mind. I wrestle bittersweet from the trees it has engulfed. I climb high into the trees with my pole saw. It seems the most interesting vine grow at the very tops of the trees. I fight poison ivy, black flies, and mosquitos all while trying to keep my balance. Mostly it works.

I drag my finds to my Ford pick up (usually this is a mile or so through thick woods) with ungainly vines catching on everything conceivable on the way out. I transport them home, unload, and get to know my new materials. The pieces come together, sometimes quickly, but more often it is a slow process. Eventually a piece is created.

I go through the same process with stone. For each chunk of granite or slab of bluestone I must respond to a particular color, shape and texture. I spend long summer hours choosing the right stones or at the stoneyard picking through dozens of quarried slabs of bluestone. I chisel some of the bluestone so it has the natural edge I'm looking for.

Other creations are made with my interpretation of found objects. Vintage laboratory glass, and animal bones are among the things I work with.

Entangled, my life and art

Winter Wedding

Handcrafted Bittersweet arbor

Unique Handcrafted Wood Chair

Bittersweet Mirror

Holiday centerpiece

Porch Chairs

Bittersweet occasional table with stone top

Handcrafted laboratory glass cloche lamp

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Hand made wood and stone outdoor table

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Handcrafted wreaths that save forests

Handcrafted holiday wreath

Handcrafted bittersweet lamp on a granite base

Handcrafted pin cherry lamp

Handcrafted Christmas reindeer

Hand made wooden table with a bluestone top

Handcrafted bittersweet mirror

Handcrafted rhododendron and stone table

Handcrafted driftwood bench

Bittersweet Arbor

Handcrafted terracotta pot wrapped in bittersweet and moss

Boston Globe Magazine Article

Handcrafted maple music stand

Handcrafted outdoor coffee table

Mini pumpkins and embroidered signatures.

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