Brettstuhl
Cherry / 2024Inspired traditional board chairs from the Alps region of Europe. Carving and joinery made possible through instruction from Charles Thompson.
Learn more about Lauren
- About
Lauren Newby (she, her)
Lauren Newby is an artist, furniture maker and woodworking instructor based in the Upper Great Lakes. Approaching design through green woodworking and traditional techniques allows her to center material as an active participant in the creative process. This approach shifts the perception of wood as a passive resource, telling a story of place, nature and time. She is a 2020 graduate of UW-Madison’s BFA program in Wood Furniture Design. Immersed in the craft community at North House Folk School, Lauren was a 2021 Craft Education Intern and currently teaches furniture design, chairmaking and kid’s woodworking courses. Support from an endowed fellowship at Center for Furniture Craft and workshops through Chairmaker’s Toolbox has encouraged continued exploration of material knowledge through furniture forms.
- Region
- Eau claire, WI
- Website
- www.laurennewby.com
- Media
- Newwoodby
- Professional Status
- Woodworker, artist, instructor
Portfolio
Lichen Bench
Pine, Ash / 2023 18 × 30 × 12"Built with found materials. Dyed to replicate mossy buildup on outdoor structures.
Ash Vessels
Black Ash / 2024
Rooted Box
Cedar, Pine, Spruce root / 2021 5 × 12 × 6.5"This box is inspired by the Yupik Peoples in Alaska, Russian and Scandinavian bent boxes. The root lashing used to hold the cedar bend together is a spruce tree root harvested from under a thick layer of moss in the Boreal forests of Northern Minnesota.
Aspen Golann's Contemporary Windsor
Oak, Pine and Maple / 2023Dyed with minerals and the sun.
Brettstuhl
Cherry / 2024Inspired traditional board chairs from the Alps region of Europe. Carving and joinery made possible through instruction from Charles Thompson.
Lounging Post and Rung
Ash, canvas, Sheep Hide / 2023 30 × 20 × 29"Split from an ash tree, this chair uses green woodworking techniques and locking joinery from Jenny Alexander’s “Chair from a Tree.” Designed for lounging, the body is suspended from the frame and held by a sheep hide.
Material play
2024This photo marks the beginning of experimentation in form and function with black ash strips while a fellow at Center for Furniture Craft.
Tracing Grain
Cherry, Enameled Copper / 2022 22 × 16 × 6"Dovetail cabinets with tactile enameled handles.
Skin and Bone
Maple and Leather / 2019Designed and built while studying furniture at Danish Institute for Study abroad.