Rather than a photographer, today we're featuring a unique artist. Welcome, Jennifer!
I call this piece
“Wind.”
I knew I wanted to make a
chair, but like every other rustic piece I make, I am subject to the curves,
sizes, and shapes of the wood and never know what the end result will be. The journey is constant.
When I placed these two driftwood
branches alongside each other against the wall, they seemed to float away,
perhaps taken by a gentle breeze.
They were delicate branches and although I knew the chair would be
petite, I had to continue – the branches were too beautiful.
I found two beaver-chewed
pieces for the front that were just as dainty as the back, and after extensive
sanding, I attached both sides with six driftwood rungs. I used traditional mortise and tenon
joinery, so the body of the chair is completely free of any nails or screws:
completely raw, just how I like it.
No stains or sealants either.
Just raw driftwood plucked from the Rio Grande that’s been sanded to a
smooth, organic finish with subtle hints of lilac hues.
I was contemplating the
upholstered seat when I was came across a stunning color of leather, my favorite
color in the world: a smoky blue-gray. It was prefect.
The result became “Wind,” a
delicate chair with a strong statement.
J e n n i f e r S c h w a l e n b e r g
"I search for exceptional pieces of driftwood lying on the
shores of the Rio Grande and reawaken their spirit into functional art."
I had my
"a-ha" moment in May of 1999. HGTV featured a bed
made out of tree branches unlike anything I had ever seen; in contrast to the
log cabin style, these were beautifully twisted, barked limbs stretching in
every direction: raw, unruly, unrefined. I felt an instant connection and thought, "I HAVE to have
that bed!" The very next
moment I felt the chills and knew: "I have to MAKE that bed!" After so many years of searching, in
just a few moments I had found my passion.
I was living in
L.A. at the time, so I drove to the beach that weekend, collected as much
driftwood as I could find and cobbled together a headboard. That was my start.
That same month Architectural Digest featured a stunning
peeled log and branch bed on the cover of their June issue. Interestingly enough, the artist, Daniel
Mack, was a well-known rustic furniture maker who just happened to live a short
distance from my sister in New York. I knew I was on the right path.
I spent a week
with Daniel later that summer, taking one of his basic courses, and found even
more inspiration. A year later, I
left L.A. for the blue skies and breathtaking vistas of my dream town: Santa Fe,
New Mexico.
After
experimenting for several years with woods such as maple, cottonwood, and
aspen, I chose driftwood as my primary medium. I love everything about it: its colors of sun-bleached
grays, its story of journey through the river, and its distinctive
characteristics of beaver-chewed ends and the colors that emerge upon sanding,
stunning hues of lilac and green.
Searching for
driftwood along the Rio Grande is an artistic process all its own, paddling in
my canoe, exploring through piles that have settled on the shores to find just
the right pieces that speak to me. It's a thrilling treasure hunt and one of my favorite parts
of the process.
In my studio, I
begin each piece by selecting a branch that I see as exceptionally inspiring
and rely on the natural curves and energetic flow to guide me. I use
traditional mortise and tenon joinery and hand-cut dowels – and screws only
when absolutely necessary. I want
my clients to feel that they are surrounded by an undisturbed piece of nature,
so to further retain the life and energy, I do not use any stains or
sealants. The results are raw,
organic, functional, modern, rustic pieces of art – and truly one-of-a-kind.
Member:
Santa Fe Artists
Market (SFAM)
The American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
The Humane Society
of the United States (HSUS)
American Diabetes
Association (ADA)
