Timothy's Fine Woodworking

Lou and Cheryl Quallenberg are right next to us at the Western Design Conference. Lou made stools to sit on — they go with his exquisite mesquite table, but I think the stools are hidden under various bottoms (mine and Tim’s included) more often then they are on his pedestal in plain view.  Boy — is it ever hard to stand for 7 hours at a time! I am personally grateful to Lou and to Les & Tauni Powers for sharing their seating.

Lou Quallenberg, master mesquite whisperer

Tauni Powers

Mesquite Partners Desk by Lou Quallenberg

Lou’s mesquite furniture is absolutely gorgeous. We saw it for the first time at last year’s conference. He supports the twisted, highly figured Texas mesquite table and bench tops, with sinuous trestles and legs. The overall effect is something I would classify as Contemporary Organic, like Tim’s furniture.

Either Tim’s or Lou’s furniture would fit beautifully in a contemporary city loft or a Rocky Mountain lodge-style home. Their pieces easily compliment modern or traditional decor and furniture of steel, chrome, antler or leather.

Check out Lou’s website and gorgeous gallery created by his wife Cheryl. She’s as much behind his creative momentum as Lou is himself.

– more later on the conference as we head home tonight… Maureen

Well, we’re here at the Western Design Conference, hanging out with friends from last year and making new friends.

Tim's "The Yellowstone" table and Walnut Desk with Chair

We are meeting lots of customers and really hoping someone will make a connection with one of Tim’s woodworking pieces and decide to take it home with them. We’d both really like not to have to take his “The Yellowstone” table and “Forest Muse,” the beautiful walnut desk home with us, no matter how much I’d like them in our own living room.

Here are the three pieces Tim entered into the juried part of the Western Design Conference exhibit.

The Yellowstone: Curly Mango, Lacewood, Padauk and Mahogany

"Forest Muse" Desk and Chair of Walnut

Right next to Tim’s pieces, Les and Tauni Powers, of Nature’s Forms, have an elegant booth with outrageous sculptural pieces by Les. My favorite reminds me of the wind dancing through the sandstone canyons at Zion, where we go with our shamanic study group every spring. Turns out, when I mentioned that connection to Les, he told me it is inspired directly by Red Canyon in Bryce, very close to where we go with our group.

Red Canyon by Les Powers

I’ll post about Lou Quallenberg’s incredible mesquite table tomorrow. For now, here’s a shot of Lou and 3 friends all woodworkers, and links to their websites. Check ‘em out:

• Jerry Van Vleet
• Lou Quallenberg
• John Gallis
• Mike Roths

James Krenov 1920 - 2009

I am saddened to hear of the passing of one my inspirations, James Krenov.  He died yesterday at the age of 89.

Krenov founded the College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture. Here’s a Fine Woodworking Magazine photo slideshow of work by Jim.

We met Lou and Cheryl Quallenberg at the Western Design Conference and immediately hit it off with both of them. Personally I like this photo I shot of Lou better than the pics he has on his website. (heh — tongue planted firmly in cheek — heh.) Lou really does have a fun sense of humor: enough anyway, to match Tim’s.

Lou creates exquisite tables, benches and desks from large slabs of mesquite that might otherwise be doomed to the barbecue pits of Texas.

Cheryl is an artist and graphic designer in her own right, creating colorful impressionist watercolours and promoting Lou’s woodworking with her clean, elegant graphic design.

I only got a hint of the many excellent stories these two have to share … I hope we see them at next year’s WDC — even better, maybe they’ll show up in Helena for a relaxed visit.
(lou-and-cheryl: hint, hint) – Maureen

p.s. check out Lou’s furniture at Lou Quallenberg Studios

Welllp … the Western Design Conference 2008 is over — done — fini — and boy are we tired! Tim and I haven’t had to stand on our feet for that many days and hours in a long time.

Tired, yes … but good-tired. Just moments after we finished loading the truck and saying goodbye to the many wonderful folks we met at WDC, I snapped this shot our hotel:

Later in the week, I will post more about the conference: photos and observations of the conference as a whole, as well as some I snapped of some of the new friends we met here in Jackson, Wyoming. More than anything else, I appreciated meeting some of the amazing artists and craftspeople in the west. Check back in a couple of days when Tim and I have a chance to decompress and maybe I’ll have a photo of you and your artwork here on ShopTalk. — Maureen

© 2008 Tim Carney

We are heading off tomorrow for the Western Design Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. I am looking forward to finding new venues for my handcrafted furniture, through meeting folks at the Jackson gathering.

Thank you to my wife and family, friends and customers for your support and the opportunity to practice my art and bring satisfaction and enjoyment to you for years to come. Maybe I’ll see some of my customers and readers at the conference

Links:

• Tim’s pieces in the Western Design Conference exhibit
• Timothy’s Fine Woodworking Recent Work
• Western Design Conference Exhibition and Sale
• Western Design Conference Home Page
• Western Design Conference Woodworkers

My live-edge walnut and bloodwood sushi table will be one of two of my pieces featured in the Western Design Conference in Jackson Wyoming. The conference takes place September 3 through 6th. Open to the public September 4th – 6th. Please come visit us at the conference!

I made this piece with the idea in mind that it could be used for Japanese-style dining (sitting on floor pillows) for four. The table includes 4 hand-carved sushi plates with chopsticks + chopstick rests as well as floor pillows and a jade-green ceramic sake set. The plates, chopsticks and rests are made by me.

Sushi Table above, © 2008 by timcarney.

“Maureen’s Rocker” & Sushi Table, © 2008 by timcarney.

or … a “Green Tea Table:”

Thank you to anziAprico for the use of your photo

Links:

• Tim’s pieces in the Western Design Conference exhibit
• Timothy’s Fine Woodworking Recent Work
• Western Design Conference Exhibition and Sale
• Western Design Conference Home Page
• Western Design Conference Woodworkers

© 2008 by Tim Carney

See some of my handcrafted furniture (including the Sushi Table/Coffee Table displayed in the above photo) will be exhibited at the 2008 Western Design Conference in Jackson Wyoming. The public open exhibition and sale takes place from September 4 through 6th. See link for schedule and open times.

Tim donated one of his one-of-a-kind live edge tables to the Holter Museum 15th Annual Art Auction & Gala.

Prairie Coulee by Tim Carney of Helena Montana

There are many excellent works of art to be auctioned in support of the ongoing programs at the Holter, including works by Rudy Autio, Jennifer Bottomly O’Looney, Dana Boussard, Chip Clawson, Russell Chatham, Sarah Jaeger, Nan Parsons …. too many to mention all of them here. Head over to this link to see all of the works for auction.

The Auction and Gala will be from 5:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Please come and support the arts in Helena, even if you don’t plan to purchase anything at the auction. The more folks in the audience, the merrier the auction! If you don’t live in Helena, but are going to be in town that evening, please consider attending the auction. It should be a fun evening.

Ticket and Gala information