Experiment with Nature » wood

McNabb & Co. Studio

Steve Ebert — Thu, 14 May 2015 19:03:19 +0000

Philadelphia based McNabb & Co. Studio offers a refreshing and unique take on fine woodworking in their project, “The City Series”. Founder James McNabb meticulously uses a bandsaw to individually shape small pieces of various wood species, eventually combining them into stunning collages of sorts. The abstracted architectural forms come together in an interesting perspective on urban sprawl, and when combined with the application into the mediums of furniture and wall art. The final products are stunning pieces certainly fitting for any urban loft. In his own words, “Each piece depicts the outsider’s perspective of the urban landscape. Made entirely of scrap wood, this work is an interpretation of making something out of nothing.”

Check out some photos of the below, and visit the portfolio site HERE.

FLYTE : Levitating Light

Steve Ebert — Fri, 08 May 2015 00:09:16 +0000

We don’t typically feature a lot of product here on Experiment with Nature, but this one was too cool to pass up. Introducing FLYTE : “FLYTE is a levitating light which hovers by magnetic levitation and is powered through the air. With FLYTE, we’ve set the lightbulb free.”

The bulb features cutting edge technology paired with a natural wood grain aesthetic and feel. Plus, with some small extra hardware, the base will charge your phone, and who doesn’t love that? Check out some photos of the product below and see the Kickstarter HERE.

Journey 018 – Western

Steve Ebert — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:48:42 +0000

For the 18th installment of our Journeys series, we follow along with Carey Quinton Haider on a trip exploring the Western USA. In Carey’s words “The route I would take and the things I planned on seeing were a mystery card. I packed my bags on Wednesday May 28th, 2014 and met my cousin on Mt. Hood. The journey would be taken with his truck and trailer.”

See some sample photos below and check out Carey’s full photo essay HERE.

Jay Nelson Art

Steve Ebert — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 23:03:12 +0000

Here at Shwood we are constantly searching for inspiring ways to think about and use natural materials. Recently, we were blown away by the creativity, craftsmanship, and playfulness of these live-able sculptures that bridge the gap between art and life.

Bay Area fine artist, Jay Nelson, is not concerned with all of his cuts and angles being perfect. In fact, he would prefer it if they weren’t. He believes these imperfections and the workarounds required to solve problems make the end result more fun. In his own words, “art should be fun.” Through his process of experimentation and problem-solving in his projects, he has learned to embrace the imperfections and the unique results that they generate.

See some videos and photos below to find out more about some of Jay’s projects and hear him give his unique and inspiring perspective. You should also definitely visit his website to see more of his work.

Shwood Rx

Steve Ebert — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 18:29:57 +0000

Introducing our brand-new Shwood Rx Collection. Available in many of our familiar styles, as well as four new shapes specifically designed for prescription use. View photos of our Rx frames below, and see the whole collection over at www.shwoodshop.com.

The Museum of Arts and Design – Against the Grain

Josh Fulfs — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:05:36 +0000

New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) current exhibition is clearly something that would resonate with us here at Shwood. Titled “Against the Grain“, the exhibition features 57 artists from around the world who use art as their medium and utilize everything from the simplest of hand tools to the most advanced technology.

From MAD’s website:

The exhibition emphasizes the way artists, designers, and craftspeople have incorporated postmodernist approaches and strategies into woodworking—deconstructing vessel shapes, playing on the relationship between function and form, and utilizing woodturning and furniture techniques in the creation of sculpture and demonstrating exciting possibilities through the use of technology.

If you’re in New York, be sure to go check out the exhibition. For everybody else, you can watch an introductory video and look through more photos over at MAD’s website.

Cornelia Konrad

Jillian Barkley — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:02:06 +0000

Cornelia Konrad creates site-specific installations by implying a sense of weightlessness to ordinary objects. The German artist’s sculptures appear to be frozen in time and space, gracefully suspended in the air as if the otherwise ordinary landscape has begun to float away. You can see Konrad’s diverse body of work at her website: www.cokonrads.de

Shwood Select 2012 Lookbook

Jillian Barkley — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:50:56 +0000

For our 2012 video lookbook, we present a stereoscopic view of our new “Shwood Select” premium line of eyewear. Experimenting with a 3D technique from the early 1800’s, we set out on an exploration to capture some of Oregon’s most blissful hideaways in a mesmerizing experimental fashion. Among the eyewear featured in the video, new “Florence” and “Haystack” styles are premiered in fresh wood offerings exclusive to the Shwood Select range. Available now through shwoodshop.com.

Wood & Nail Sculpture

Jillian Barkley — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:55:57 +0000

Working in a wood shop, we’re constantly attempting to push the limits of what can be done with simple materials. That’s why we were so blown away to discover Korean sculptor Jaehyo Lee’s incredible use of wood & nail to make his art. By bending and shaping each individual nail, Lee allows the manipulated metal to serve as paint strokes to create these splendidly detailed pieces.

You can find more of his work on his website at www.leeart.name

Patrick Dougherty

Shwood Shop — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:50:39 +0000

Combining his carpentry skills with his love of nature, Patrick Dougherty utilizes primitive techniques of building to experiment with tree saplings as construction material. Since beginning in 1980, Patrick has left his mark with over two hundred massive sculptures all over the world.

Check out more of Patrick’s work here: www.stickwork.net

Filmed by Gary Tyler Mcleod & Austin Will
Edited by Gary Tyler Mcleod

About the “Inspired By…” video series:

The Pacific Northwest is overflowing with creatives. Everyone from artists and musicians to engineers and architects call Portland home. Immersed in this culture of thinkers and makers, the team at Shwood is constantly drawing inspiration from the artisans that surround us. The “Inspired By…” video series is intended to share some of Shwood’s daily inspiration with others around the globe.