John Spivey | The Furniture Society

Cloud Stool

cherry and wenge / 2022

stool with floating contoured seat

About

I’m a studio furniture maker and writer in Santa Barbara, CA, where I live with my ceramic sculptor wife. I started making furniture in 1958 in junior high and have loved hardwoods since that time. I received a degree in math then alternated teaching school with being a finish carpenter and cabinetmaker, with some forays into making a little furniture. In my last teaching job, I not only taught math, but outdoor skills including backpacking, cycling, and cross-country skiing. I also taught the martial art of Aikido. Twenty years ago, I serendipitously ran into Sam Maloof, and the encounter made me realize that I had to jump into my dream of making furniture of my own design before it was too late.

My work is inspired by the movement of line, like a tree branch or ridgeline, especially as represented in sumi‑e painting. I initially designed my work to appear as zen brushstrokes and I represent my work as being lyrical minimalism or lyrical zen. I try to approach the wood without artifice or too much embellishment and treat the wood with great respect. My designs are intended to hold the wood aloft in reverence in relationship to the creative human spirit. I treat the process as a means to approach the deeper meaning of life, an approach to joy. The work has appeared in American Craft Council shows, the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.