September 2010
Designs from the Natural World
Saydah Design - hand crafted wood furniture
Jerry Shanafelt - oil paintings
Drawing inspiration from the natural world, we feature Saydah Designs handcrafted furniture and Jerry Shanafelt's beautiful oil paintings of deserts, mountains and coastlines.
Saydah Designs Box Table
Saydah Designs
handcrafted wood furniture
Saydah Design’s traditionally inspired hard wood furniture incorporates the pleasing aesthetics of wood combinations and solid joinery techniques in unstained natural hues.
The natural colors of the wood are used as part of the design, each piece is created with a purpose and evolves into an exquisite piece of functional art.
Thomas Saydah started designing and building furniture in 1980 in the San Francisco area. He apprenticed there through the Baulines Craft Guild in 1979 with Arthur Espenet Carpenter and in 1980 started his own business by marketing one-of-a-kind art furniture at local craft shows. Margaret Saydah, became involved in the business in 1992 and apprenticed with him and learned the basics, sanding and finishing.
The Saydahs moved the business to Ashland Oregon in 1997 from Emeryville California. Saydah Design now produces between 12-15 pieces of custom furniture a year. They work directly with their clients to help create their furniture, including them in as much involvement in the design as they want. It is a process that can take up to a year from design to completion of the work. They have jobs that continue for years, as clients add pieces to their collection.
Thomas started as a street artist and Margaret took his creation and turned it into a business, which supports their family. “That is a major difference between us and many other artists that don’t live by their art alone. Thomas took his creativity and decided to make it work for him not as a hobby, but as a full time job and a way of life.”
Tom and Margaret have spent the last five years designing, redesigning, building, rebuilding and creating an art house, the Arty Cottage. Thomas has expanded his work from custom furniture to custom metal work. Margaret has a background in textile arts and has incorporated handmade quilts, lampshades, window treatments and other design elements into the ArtYCottage. You can visit their website at: www.artycottage.com
Jerry Shanafelt Spring Unfolding
Jerry Shanafelt
oil paintings
Jerry Shanafelt paints in an impressionistic style, bringing to life the rich textures and vibrant colors of stunning natural scenes in our deserts, mountains and coastlines.
“Inspiration for my paintings come from the abstract shapes and designs that color, light and shadows create in nature. The contrast of snow on granite peaks or the splash of color against the greens and tans of the desert floor catch my eye and my imagination. As I travel, hike, or ride my bike, I look for scenes that capture my attention, like the variety of colors and hues in wildflowers, or the play of light on moving water. I have always tried to paint from the perspective of being in the scene and, through my paintings, to convey the peace and joy I find in nature. My goal is for my paintings to elevate the spirit in myself and in the viewer.”
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Jerrry Shanafelt was encouraged to develop his artistic talents from an early age. His study of architectural design led him to work in that field for over twenty-five years. During that time, he pursued painting as an avocation and, also, renovated and restored vintage homes in Mystic, Connecticut and Ashland, Oregon. In 1987, he and his wife, Elaine, opened the Mt. Ashland Inn, a log bed and breakfast in the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. The inn was designed and built by Jerry using timber from their property and showcases Jerry’s many artistic talents, including fine woodworking, wood carving, and stained glass.
After selling the inn in 1995, Jerry returned to his long time interest in painting. Much of his education has come through intensive study of the past masters and contemporary American and Canadian impressionists. He has studied in workshops with artists T.M. Nicholas, Kevin MacPherson, Ted Goerschner, Howard Carr, Tom Browning, Matt Smith, and John Budicin and has taken courses through the Scottsdale Artist School.
Jerry is a signature member of the American Impressionists Society and associate member of the Oil Painters of America. His work has been accepted into numerous national and international juried shows and has won many awards, including the Grumbacher Gold Medallion Award. His paintings are in private collections throughout the United States.