AWR Studio Furniture 2018: Meet the Entrants 5

25 April 2018

The fifth in a series of updates introduces some of the talented entrants in AWR Studio Furniture 2018, an exhibition produced in partnership with Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, NSW and presented by Felder Group Australia.

The deadline for entry is June 24. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to exhibit their work at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery. The exhibition opens Oct 20, 2018 and runs until Jan 31, 2019.

Designer makers all over the world are invited to enter by uploading six images of past work and including a short bio in the "Entry Description field". There is an $80 fee to enter. Enter AWR Studio Furniture 2018 now.

Isaac Ferguson, Qld

For the past 18 years, Isaac Ferguson has pursued only one thing – the creation of unique fine furniture. Having designed and crafted pieces for residential and commercial customers as a senior tradesman for a local Townsville, Qld studio, he now brings ideas to life from his own private workshop. Not interested in the recreation of works past, he loves to experiment with local timbers and produce items that respond to wood’s natural form. Woodwork is a passion like no other. Each cut of timber has its flaws and character that the crafter needs to adapt and be sensitive to. It is the eternal challenge that spurs Isaac’s increasing passion for the making of lasting, quality creations.

Phillip Blacklow, Tas

Dr Phillip Blacklow manages the woodwork shop and digital fabrication facility at the Tasmanian College of the Arts, University of Tasmania. His career began in 1971 working as a furniture maker after completing apprenticeships in cabinetmaking and woodturning. In 1988 he began as a wood skills lecturer and technician at the Tasmanian School of Art, Univ. Tasmania, and later gained a Master’s Degree in Fine Art and Design in 2008 from the Tasmanian School of Art. Phillip graduated in 2016 with a PhD in Fine Art and Philosophy from the Tasmanian College of the Arts, majoring in Furniture Design, targeting plantation eucalypt as a furniture timber. His work has featured in numerous exhibitions and is represented in permanent art collections, including the V&A Museum (London), Parliament House and Prime Minister’s office Canberra and the University of Tasmania Art collection. He manages a research facility, liaising with industry to integrate designs into production (Centre for Furniture Design UTAS). He has also undertaken postdoctoral research into hydrowood, thermal modification of plantation eucalypt and minor species to improve their acoustic properties.

Grant Vaughan, NSW

Grant Vaughan is an internationally renowned wood sculptor and furniture maker who lives and works in Rock Valley, NSW. He has participated in a number of artists residencies, taught at Sturt School For Wood and been a guest lecturer at the ANU. He has exhibited widely, most recently at Chatoyance, 2018 (Studio Woodworkers Australia, Treecycle 2016 (Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney) and allTURNatives Form + Spirit, 2015, Philadelphia, USA in a listing that steps back yearly to the 1980s, including several showings at SOFA in Chicago, USA. Grant also has received a long list of awards and prizes for his work which is represented in public and private collections all over the world.

Andrew Pinnock, NSW

Andrew Pinnock is a fine furniture maker and designer based in Sydney. Using predominantly solid timber, Andrew's aim is to produce well designed and functional pieces that will stand the test of time and be enjoyed for generations to come.

Ian Bell, NSW

With an engineering background, Ian Bell has worked in a variety of fields including shipbuilding, opal cutting and at ski resorts. His creative outlet prior to woodcarving was painting. He initially learnt woodturning and furniture design in Tasmania (Associate Diploma Art, Craft and DFesign) 1995-96. This was an introduction to a whole new creative field. Attending a woodcarving course with Robert Howard in 2001 was one of those life changing experiences, the lathe was abandoned in favour of a more free-form approach. "Over the years a trusted friend and mentor Tony Smibert (contemporary Tasmanian watercolour painter) has taught me, amongst other things, the importance of trusting my inner artist and to follow your heart".