Featured Member: Alexandra Mavrikis
Alexandra Mavrikis is a multidisciplinary artist, furniture maker, and visual arts educator. She received her MFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design at the San Diego State University. Her work incorporates mixed media, with a focus on wood and ceramic, and has been exhibited nationally. She addresses the body, gender, and spatial relations while also questioning the necessity of functionality for furniture objects in the home.
We caught up with Alexandra to hear more about his background and interests within the furniture field.
Tell us a little about yourself — where you’re based and how you got started making furniture.
I have been based in Southern California, between San Diego and Los Angeles, for the past month after completing a two-year Artist in Residence in Wood position at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee. I currently teach woodworking at San Diego State University and Cerritos College. I started woodworking at Cerritos College and later earned my MFA from SDSU after working in furniture restoration for some time. My interest began simply because I wanted to learn how to build a table properly after a failed attempt using brackets and tapered legs from Lowe’s. Having previously felt I lacked an avenue in the arts because I didn’t have strong drawing or painting skills, I fell in love with woodworking immediately and pursued my certificate.
What inspires your work? Who are some of your inspirations for furniture making?
I am interested in subverting furniture forms. I love the language of furniture and appreciate how these common forms provide an accessible entry point for viewers. However, I am most interested in the tension between absurdity and utility. I primarily construct non-utilitarian forms that utilize traditional woodworking techniques and technical joinery skills, despite their lack of practical function. There are threads of humour throughout my work, regardless of the subject matter. Artists I look to are Raul DeLara, Joyce Lin, Garry Knox Bennett, Liam Lee and the Haas Brothers.
What does being a member of The Furniture Society mean to you?
This is sometimes a lonely endeavor; being connected to a community of makers, no matter how far, makes it all feel a little bit less so. People involved with TFS have been mentors and collaborators of mine, and I love being able to access a large group of furniture makers I can ask questions or get to know better.
Tell us about your preferred way of connecting with clients and customers.
As far as client work goes, I only work on custom pieces. My work is sculptural and often non-utilitarian, and as such is not very commercial.
Do you have a specific joinery technique, favorite tool, or favorite wood that you like? Why?
I’ve gotten more interested in figurative carving over the last few months, so my Pfeil carving gouges are my favorite tools right now. Cherry, ash, and poplar are my go-to woods these days simply because I love how they age and the color intrinsic to them.
Alexandra has work currently on display in the Slocumb Galleries at East Tennessee State University, with an artist talk and reception on September 24, Thursday, 5 to 7 pm.
Check out Alexandra’s profile page, social media, and website.