Seattle Magazine: Exploring the Woodworking Talents of the Pacific Northwest

Formfitting

Wood furniture designer Seth Rolland is originally from New York, but feels most at home in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.

“There are traces of life and history in wood, which is why we humans relate so well to it,” says Rolland, who moved to Port Townsend 14 years ago from Taos, New Mexico. He uses only sustainably harvested and salvaged woods, such as mahogany, elm and ash, for his sculptural tables and chairs. His mastery of the kerfing technique, the act of making a series of strategic cuts in the wood allowing it to bend, creates his signature accordion-like silhouettes, which fan out into interesting shapes.The design process for one piece can take months, but the execution only takes from two to six weeks.

“I’m not into embellishment,” Rolland says. “I’m connected to the idea that form follows function, and structure can be the ornamentation.” Rolland’s work can be seen at the Woodworkers Show in Port Townsend November 5-6 at the American Legion Hall. Also available at sethrolland.com.

BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | SEPTEMBER 2016

Image Credit: Frank Ross