Wood

Michael Scarborough took the long road to becoming a craft artist. After college, he spent 25 years as a professional opera singer, where he was exposed to a lot of different ideas about art and craft. But, he says growing up in Japan in the 1950s had the greatest influence on his craft, which, as you can see, has a distinctly Asian feel. Much of his work is done in wood and on the lathe, and he experiments quite a bit with traditional Japanese forms and finishes.

We had some time to talk to Steve Keeble, Executive Director of the Collectors of Wood Art, last week about collecting, wood art, and SOFA. Make sure to check out the CWA's lecture "Legacy & Continuum in Collecting Wood Art" in room 326 at 11 a.m. on Friday. Check out what he had to say about collecting, wood art, and SOFA.

Koji Tanaka's wooden sculptural pieces are subtle, yet eye-catching, and they beg to be touched ("My pieces are as much a visual experience as they are a tactile one," he says). I love the smooth lines and organic shapes paired with the inherent beauty of wood. Tanaka is a relative newcomer to the fine craft world, though he's been honing his craft for years, most recently as an apprentice to master woodworker Victor DiNovi.

Back in April, we published a story about woodworker Joshua Vogel, his partner Kelly Zaneto, and Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co., which the couple opened in September 2010 near Kingston, New York.