Hi
Folks,
It is December 28th
and I am sitting on a veranda in
Welcome
to my sixth semi-annual e-mail update! I thought you would be
interested in hearing more about my recent work and furniture
activities! Since my last newsletter in June, I’ve been very busy with
some major projects (OK, and some beach time), and my furniture has won
three major awards! Read on! I’ve linked some information to sites on
the internet, so just click on the highlighted and/or underlined words.
Just remember to come back for the rest of this letter! I hope you
enjoy the reading.
I
want to remind you of an interesting feature to my website. It is a Work in Progress page where I discuss how I am making
some of my latest pieces. On that page you will find photos of the work
as it progresses, plus lots of discussion of what I am doing and how I
am doing it, especially interesting to the woodworker! The write-ups
lately have been quite long because the work was so involved, so you might need to read in small clips. I
hope you will find time to browse the pages.
This has been a great year for awards. In August, I entered my “Shadows of Night” cabinet in the Rappahannock Art League’s 48th Annual Art Exhibit and came away with “Best in Show”! Then, I entered the same piece in the 2010 NICHE Awards, sponsored by NICHE Magazine and so far it is a Finalist – come February the winners will be announced. This is the third consecutive year I have been finalist in the NICHE awards, and you know what they say about ‘third time is a charm’. Keeping my fingers crossed. I really love this piece (and it is for sale)!
I also entered a
piece in the 2010 Design Portfolio of Custom Woodworking Business Magazine and it was
awarded an honorable mention. The piece was my “Sideboard
Cabinet”, seen in the photo to the left. This was a custom piece
that used a significant amount of walnut from my client’s own walnut
tree. The sideboard also features quilted maple veneer on the door and
back panels, and an ambrosia maple paneled top. The interior is also
lighted with low energy LED lights.
In
August I had
the opportunity to organize a new fine craft show at Rice’s Hotel &
Hughlett’s Tavern here in Heathsville. The show was produced in
conjunction with the Artisans Center of Virginia and featured eleven
juried Virginia Professional Artisans. We filled up the 
from all accounts the show was a great
success! I think the level of attendance during the six hours of the
show rivaled some of the major furniture and craft shows in which I
have participated. I’m thinking seriously of repeating the show next
August. [photos by Bud Disney]
In
September I was invited to make a presentation for “Food for
Thought”, a series held by Heathsville’s Rice’s Hotel and Hughlett’s
Tavern Foundation. To make this presentation extra special, I held it
in my workshop and entertained folks from as far away as
This
December I entered my work in an interesting show called “Jingle
on the James”. What made this show different was that it was held in a
number of unsold condominiums in Rocketts Landing, a new project on the
James River just south of
As I mentioned
in my last newsletter, I received a very interesting commission in
February. A local couple had just lost a large persimmon tree and was
interested in having it milled, dried, and turned into furniture. Well,
the lumber turned out to be quite striking, so we designed a large wall
unit with shelves and drawers to go in a very specific location (of
course, all my work is designed so it can be stand alone, so the back
of this piece is as nice as the front). I call the piece simply the "Persimmon
Shelves
with Drawers". It is a very
large piece, though, measuring 81 inches
long and 72 inches high, and it used practically all the persimmon from
the tree. Since my clients are local, they were able to visit the shop
several times during construction and together we worked out details. I
think that is what is special about custom furniture. I plan to deliver
the piece after the first of the year (the holidays make it tough to
coordinate furniture deliveries), and I am hoping my clients like the
finished piece as much as I do! I’ve included both a front and back
shot of the piece here, but I encourage you to go to my website to see
more detailed views of the work.
When
I get back home from paradise, I’ve twelve or so logs waiting to
be milled into lumber, a four poster bed to make, and a hall coat rack
to design and build. It looks like 2010 will be a great year!
Best
regards,
Andy Pitts
workshop@andrewpittsfurnituremaker.com
804-580-2058