Focus on Materials : Annual Journal of the Furniture Society

Through beautiful photographs and intelligent writing, this fourth volume in the Furniture Studio series reports on the myriad ways that contemporary studio-furniture artists are responding to materials challenges such as the scarcity of exotic timber due to rain forest depletion, the subsequent explorations of the uses of metal, plastic, glass, and stone, and the increase in new functions realized by digital processes. Aiming to bridge the gaps between individual furniture makers, designers, scholars, and consumers, this forum for the discussion of meaning and content through a variety of formats includes an award-winning photographic portfolio by Judy Kenslie McKie, an essay showing how contemporary sculptors use furniture as metaphor, a photo essay on drawing, and a memoir by a leading artist that explains how she broke into new design realms by altering the established rules. Additional exhibition reviews include the furniture art of Roy McMakin, a juried portfolio of student work, and a look at the cutting-edge San Diego school led by Wendy Maruyama.

John Kelsey is a former editor of Fine Woodworking magazine. He is the editor of the Furniture Studio series and the author of 15 books on woodworking and furniture making, including The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker and Furniture Projects for the Porch and Patio. He lives in Newtown, Connecticut.