New Masters of the Wooden Box

Meet the 34 contemporary artists who are pushing the limits of box making. Woodturners, furniture artisans, and expert artisans from all over the world have come together to create amazingly artistic wooden boxes. Here they take you step-by-step through their projects and their processes. These brilliant artists share their astounding skills, ingenious abilities, and the inspiration that propels their creations in this groundbreaking book. You'll get to see each artist at work in their studio and workshop and learn why their exquisite work has been chosen for a highly anticipated display sponsored by the Center for Furniture Creativity. With a history dating back to the dawn of civilization, the wooden box has evolved through the years from a functional container to a profound culmination of artistic discovery. Each artist profile contains detailed images and illustrations of their work and a collection of gorgeous images exhibiting the amazing boxes. They also have brief essays--many of which have never before been published--concentrating on their design concepts and goals. These illustrations accompany each profile to reflect and fully illuminate the capabilities of each artist. New Masters of the Wooden Box delves beyond the final work's surface to each artist's artistic language of materials, techniques, and shapes. This collection also includes an in-depth introduction that covers the recent history of the wooden box in carpentry as well as its role in current crafts and musical works. Other items such as storage boxes, jewelry boxes, personalized keepsake boxes, reliquaries, and more are also featured. Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. is a furniture historian and a decorative arts consultant. He served as director of the Navy Museum in Washington, D.C., until he decided to pursue his passion. He is a furniture historian and decorative arts consultant. He will guide you as you see the personal inspirations and amazing techniques of New Masters of the Wooden Box. In the minds and techniques of the 34 artists and their personalized projects, you will be able to have meaningful and creative insight into the world through a language of material, form, and technique. As you visit each artist and open every box, you'll have a vibrant perspective of what it means to visualize yourself in the expansion of the box's boundaries. Featuring some of today's best woodworkers and artisans--Michael Hosaluk, Steven Kennard, Richard Raffin, Jacques Vesery, Bonnie Klein, and more--this craftsmen's companion celebrates these modern masters and others who have taken box making to a higher level of aesthetic form. The artist profiles include full-color, studio-quality photographs of their work along with essays that illustrate their design ideas and objectives. In addition, this collection offers an in-depth introduction detailing the recent history of the wooden box in woodworking and its place in contemporary crafts and instrumental pieces, such as jewelry boxes, desk boxes, reliquaries, and keepsakes.