Blossoming Vessel
pear wood / 2019 8"×4"×4"Inspired by botanical forms observed in nature, the form of this hollow turned vessel suggests a flower bud or seedpod that is slowly unfurling its layers as it opens.
Learn more about Karen
- About
Originally from East Aurora, NY, Karen Ernst is a Professor of Woodworking / Furniture Design in the Art Department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, recently renamed PennWest University. She received a BA in Studio Art from SUNY Geneseo and an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and has over twenty years of woodworking and design experience. The furniture and sculptural objects she designs and builds have been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries across the US and are included in many private collections. Her work is featured in the Lark Books publications 500 Chairs, 500 Tables and 500 Cabinets.
Karen has been a member of the Furniture Society’s Board of Trustees since 2018 and currently serves as its President.
The furniture and sculptural objects Karen Ernst designs and builds draw inspiration from natural shapes, textures, and landscapes she has observed in her travels to many of the National Parks across the US. Whether it is the silhouette of a tree branch, an impression left by a rock in the sand, or the surface of the ocean, she seeks to capture a bit of the beauty and magic present in our most unspoiled natural places.
- Region
- Edinboro, PA
- Website
- www.karenernstdesign.com
- Media
- Wood, paint
- Professional Status
- Educator, maker
Portfolio
Sprout Cabinet - Little Free Library
cherry, milk paint, cast bronze, glass / 2018 30"×12"×10"This cabinet was designed to be a Little Free Library for our local cooperative market here in Edinboro, PA.
Tree Branch Mirror
quarter sawn white oak / 2016 30"×20"×1"
Surf Sequence Panels
maple, milk paint / 2015 3"×2 1/2"×46"Surf Sequence Panels suggest rolling ocean swells approaching the shore, showing motion or the passage of time as the waves come closer to breaking, with a watery carved and painted texture.
Tree Branch Desk
White Oak Wood / 2015 30"×24"×56"
Notch Mirror
birdseye maple, basswood, milk paint, mirror / 2015 20"×15"×5"Notch is meant to illustrate a contrast between the pale, rectilinear shapes of the maple and the shaped, geologically-inspired base. The black form suggests a rock formation that has split due to weathering, with a carved texture in the “notch”.
Cloud Impression Table
maple, walnut / 2015 17"×14"×24"Cloud Impression Table exists somewhere in the realm between functional furniture and sculpture. The volume and curves of this piece suggest an elevated cross section of a cloud, with small oval depressions that are inviting to the hand.
Blossoming Vessel
pear wood / 2019 8"×4"×4"Inspired by botanical forms observed in nature, the form of this hollow turned vessel suggests a flower bud or seedpod that is slowly unfurling its layers as it opens.
Crystalline Box
cherry, milk paint / 2015 6"×5"×9"Made from figured and painted cherry wood, this box has an oversized, mountain shaped handle. Both the river-like section in the bottom panel and the lid are angular in a fractured, or crystalline way, as if they were inspired by a frozen landscape.
Sea Swell Cabinet
curly maple, milk paint / 2015 9.5"×26"×4.5"Sea Swell Cabinet contrasts rippled figured maple with painted silhouettes, suggesting the peaks of ocean waves receding into the horizon. The door is like a window, giving a glimpse of a choppy sea, as if you are at the threshold of a storm.
Seed Cabinet
cherry, maple, milk paint / 2019 30"×14"×7"
Turnip Vessel
poplar, milk paint / 2018 5"×5"×8"This is a sculptural hollow-turned vessel made from poplar. After hollowing the form and establishing the outer surface on the lathe, I used an angle grinder, rasps, and files to refine the form.
