Erickson Woodworking
Artist Statement
“I work with a small staff of experienced woodworkers and finishers to build about 75 pieces of furniture each year in a woodshop north of Nevada City, California.
We work primarily in domestic hardwoods, specializing in local walnut, madrone, and Kellogg's oak. The techniques we use are traditional with some innovations developed from 35 years of experience. The finish is non-toxic tung oil with a buffed wax overlay.
I want my work to reflect where it is made, the place and the people, and to demonstrate that regional craft is native materials. I am Swedish American, and the Scandinavian design movements of the 1800's and 1900's play a strong role in the development of my designs. I spent the summers of 1977 and 1989 on a fjord in western Norway, and studied both contemporary Scandinavian design and traditional Norwegian farmstead furniture design.
Most of the pieces I make are chairs. I love the chair form because of the challenges of its design constraints and the daily use these pieces receive. Durability is as important as the curves and shapes of a new "look."
As a chair maker I am concerned with the human form and as a custom chair maker I am concerned with the individual human form, the specifics of the individual for whom the chair is intended. I've developed a system of adjusting the size of the chair so it fits the individual. Mostly I listen to what people tell me, what feels best. I adjust the height of the seat, the depth of the seat, the height of the headboard, and I've coined a word, the "conformation" of the back.
Other things come into play as I listen to what the person tells me. This is all quite simple, if someone says, "this is more comfortable than that," I make it "this" way. If someone keeps sitting forward in the chair I may suggest closing the mouth of the chair, i.e., making the angle of the back to the seat more acute. Some of these issues involve a person's personal health history: a case of arthritic knees may make it difficult to get into and out of a low seat, hence a higher chair seat would be in order.”
We work primarily in domestic hardwoods, specializing in local walnut, madrone, and Kellogg's oak. The techniques we use are traditional with some innovations developed from 35 years of experience. The finish is non-toxic tung oil with a buffed wax overlay.
I want my work to reflect where it is made, the place and the people, and to demonstrate that regional craft is native materials. I am Swedish American, and the Scandinavian design movements of the 1800's and 1900's play a strong role in the development of my designs. I spent the summers of 1977 and 1989 on a fjord in western Norway, and studied both contemporary Scandinavian design and traditional Norwegian farmstead furniture design.
Most of the pieces I make are chairs. I love the chair form because of the challenges of its design constraints and the daily use these pieces receive. Durability is as important as the curves and shapes of a new "look."
As a chair maker I am concerned with the human form and as a custom chair maker I am concerned with the individual human form, the specifics of the individual for whom the chair is intended. I've developed a system of adjusting the size of the chair so it fits the individual. Mostly I listen to what people tell me, what feels best. I adjust the height of the seat, the depth of the seat, the height of the headboard, and I've coined a word, the "conformation" of the back.
Other things come into play as I listen to what the person tells me. This is all quite simple, if someone says, "this is more comfortable than that," I make it "this" way. If someone keeps sitting forward in the chair I may suggest closing the mouth of the chair, i.e., making the angle of the back to the seat more acute. Some of these issues involve a person's personal health history: a case of arthritic knees may make it difficult to get into and out of a low seat, hence a higher chair seat would be in order.”
