Creature Furnitures Information Page by David Werner from Werner Arts Studios

Hi, I have provided some music to read by. Depending on your browser, you may start and stop it by double clicking on the buttons below.

Crafts:

are handmade objects created for utility, for decoration, or as a vehicle for the maker's imagination. At their best, crafts are the linking of skill and substance, the product of the craftsperson's training and mastery of tools and techniques coupled with an understanding of the inherent properties of such natural materials as wood, fiber, glass, metal, and clay. Crafts are a spontaneous expression of the feelings, attitudes, and needs of society. Most of it is utilitarian in character, such as the decorated furniture I create. By and large crafts are a highly traditional form of art, using clearly defined techniques and motifs that are handed down from generation to generation, often over many centuries. Although today many contemporary craft objects are not functional, they generally have their roots in function.

Crafts mirror the age in which they are produced, embodying the knowledge, styles, and customs that exist in a given place at a given time. The craftsperson today may continue to perpetuate skills and traditions through innovation and self-expression. At a point in history when the machine can supply all of people's physical needs, crafts might seem an anachronism, except when thought of as a means of sustaining traditions, countering the uniformity of mass production, and providing an outlet for artistic self-expression. All of these roles define the place of crafts in the 20th century. An awareness of its value and beauty is spreading, and craft collections and museums dedicated to their preservation are being formed everyday in all countries to keep this precious heritage alive.

Why do I endeavor to work in wood?

Wood carving, or wood sculpture, is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of art. Because of the near universality of trees and the relative durability of the product, wood carving has been practiced in almost all cultures from the earliest times. Wood can be fashioned by chopping, splitting, sawing, or gouging. The art of the wood carver depends on knowledge of the characteristics of specific woods, skill in fashioning the material, and talent in design. Objects of wood are carved by a basic subtractive method. Most work is done with a hand-held knife or with a chisel struck with a hammer. As an art form, wood carving has been used to fashion and ornament utilitarian or spiritual objects. American northwest coast Indians carved red cedar logs to portray clan totems, such as ravens, bears, frogs, and owls. These sculptures were more social than religious in function and suggested the wealth and prestige of the owner. Primary emphasis was placed on the head of the animals.

In North America where I live, the diverse crafts stem from a variety of cultural traditions imported by the European settlers.

Hispanic influences are clearly evident in my works, like the 19th-century Santos, the small carved and painted figures intended to adorn niches in the walls. My Whimsically Caricatured Animal Furniture and Room Accents are also meant to be an adornment within your living or work space. I particularly enjoy working in three dimensions, this way the volumes that make up the works are continually rediscovered in new and interesting interactions with their surrounding voids and backgrounds.