“Spanning the last 33 years, my career as a woodworker and furniture-maker has passed through several major phases, each marked by exploration of a particular theme or interest. Rather than abandon one for the next, I have built one upon another in an evolving process."
"I started as a furniture-maker, but eventually felt limited by conventional notions about what furniture was supposed to look like and how it should be built. I now approach my work fundamentally as sculpture, but likewise have resisted passing over the line into pure or nonfunctional form."
"Sculpture has three dimensions. My work has a fourth: the sensation of touch and pleasure of use. If an object is conceived as a piece of sculpture, but further designed with function, it is a richer experience for both maker and user."
"Wood, the material itself, was my first love affair. I reveled in the many forms that nature chose to sculpt grain, shape the perimeter of tree trunks, paint the richness of wood-color in different species. I enjoy the entire process of working with wood -- from the idea of its origins in the living tree, through the excitement of bringing color and figure to the surface in carving, to the satiny feel of a wood surface which is finely-sanded and finished."
"I find the symmetry of most furniture boring. Symmetry lacks drama and adventure. Basically, our preference for symmetry has to do with our intuitive need for balance, our physical and psychological adaptation to gravity. Asymmetry and imbalance are exciting because they challenge our basic sense of order and security. They suggest defiance of gravity, risk, daring,skill and mastery over superior forces."
"The curving line is beautiful because it has grace, motion and power. It abstracts the essence of a classical ballet or a moving musical composition. It soothes like the ebb and flow of waves or the rush of water in a stream. It captures the universal magic of femininity."
Quotes -- Michael Coffey
