May 11–18, 2000

Sit on It

Art you can use at the Philadelphia Furniture Show.

Circle of light: J. Apkarian Design’s aluminum and glass ellipse table lamp.

by Robin Rice

Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show

Pennsylvania Convention Center, Hall D, 12th and Arch Sts., May 12-14, 215-440-0718

Grand Opening

Wexler Gallery, 201 N. Third St., May 13, Gallery Talk 2-4 p.m., 215-923-7030

A stainless steel plaque explains the new Wexler Gallery’s raison d’être with a quotation from Peter T. Joseph: "Art furniture precisely because of its functionality, thus insinuates itself into our daily lives more deeply and pervasively than many of the so-called fine arts… " Indeed, domestic possessions define us. A chair mirrors the human form and suggests its cultural significance. It contributes to our comfort (or lack of it), as it subtly shapes the way we feel about ourselves and frames the way we see ourselves and others.

Jack Larimore is represented by Wexler Gallery. He says, "One of the reasons I really love being a furniture maker is that a significant part of the content of a piece is realized through its use. That’s the distinction between furniture and sculpture. I like to think of people using my pieces and enjoying them as a sculptural part of the room. Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to sit on Queen Elizabeth’s throne?" he muses. "It’s probably uncomfortable, but it’d be a gas!"

Would Larimore also take an opportunity to sit in the electric chair? "Yes," he replies, "after I made certain the current was turned off."

Larimore, who trained as a landscape architect and discovered furniture-making as an indirect result of renovating a house, has several pieces at Wexler Gallery, including a dark blue Clove Chair and Ottoman. The chair back is angled, as if to fit into a corner. The sharply pointed back is vertically segmented into twin overstuffed lobes edged in red piping. The simple cylindrical ottoman has a multicolored Kandinsky-ish print fabric on its seat. It’s a big one-of-a-kind piece, too massive to fit through some doors. The scale is protective and plushly comfortable.

This kind of unique work is only part of Larimore’s business. About 80 percent is commissioned. "Much is repeat business. In almost all cases, the people know my work." He enjoys interactions with clients. "I try to see the work participating in their lives. It can go down a spiritual road or a humorous road. The main thing is to get a proposal together that’s going to ring true for them and is exciting for me. That is success."

Larimore meets some future clients at the annual Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show (PFFS) where this weekend, among some 250 juried exhibitors, he is showing his limited production work. At $500-$3,000, these pieces are relatively affordable. This year Larimore’s excited about a group of bamboo, steel and jatoba wood cabinets and occasional chairs with a somewhat botanical or pod-like structure.

Other handmade objects at the PFFS include furniture in many styles, most contemporary. It ranges from a blonde modernist buffet with curved tiger maple doors by Stephen Perrin to twig furniture by Tor Faegre to simple cherry dining chairs with undulating maple backs by Ross S. Peterson to Chinese and Japanese reproductions by Philadelphian John D. Struble and heart-shaped three-legged farmer’s stools by Rolf Hoeg.

There’s an even broader spectrum of "furnishings," including lathe-turned wooden bowls and vases by Walter Goodridge, wool blankets hand-woven by John and Carolyn Grace, futuristic ellipse table lamps by J. Apkarian Design, and clocks by Philadelphian Julia E. Sokol. Exhibition spaces such as Owen/Patrick Gallery and the Fabric Workshop are also represented.
PFFS exhibitor Joyce Barker-Schwartz developed her unique woven canvas floor-coverings about nine years ago. Combining her skills as a painter and a background in textiles, Barker-Schwartz adapted the tradition of painted floor cloths which came to the United States from Europe in the colonial period. Stretched canvas is painted and half-inch strips are woven into it. Additional areas are appliquéd with sewn or glued-on elements. The edges of the unstretched rug are turned under and securely glued.
"Some are very elaborate and look like Orientals," she explains. "Some look contemporary and minimal." An elaborate example combines stripes, checks and triangles with marbleized fan-shaped wedges containing flower-like appliqués. The mosaic effect in rich golds, greens, purples, black and white perhaps reflects a stay in Italy. Barker-Schwartz’s most recent work is more conceptual and deals with communication.

Lewis Wexler is not showing at PFFS, but his gallery is very much a part of the show. A specialist in French art deco at Christie’s and galleries in New York City, Wexler’s visit to a PFFS a few years ago led to the gallery in Old City. "I wanted to give the artists a place to permanently show their work and to give the buying public a chance to look at it over a period of time," he explains.
After helping an artist set up a new work in the handsomely remodeled old Black Banana nightclub, Wexler relaxes momentarily in the Whimcycle Chair by Janice C. Smith (also exhibiting in the PFFS). Made of plywood covered with a "silver lining" composite veneer, this asymmetrical chair has a sleek, postmodern look. One curved armrest of painted steel tubing allows the sitter access to a conveniently extended side table surface. The other armrest is an angular slab of wood. Pale green cushions soften the angles, while rubber wheels and barrow handles make it convenient to push the chair to shade or sun.

It’s fun, but is it practical to live with such a high-finish work of art? Won’t a Whimcycle Chair make your Sears sofabed look tacky? Wexler, who collects Arts and Crafts furniture, believes, "One good piece makes everything else look better. Buy a few select pieces; if you have to stretch a little bit you enjoy it more."

Mirror, mirror: Ric Allison’s Fairest dressing mirror.

But what if your treasure is nicked? "It’s furniture; it will wear," he replies serenely. "The good part is that these artists are alive. Call me and I’ll put you in touch with the artist and you can get it repaired."

In the gallery, the work of living artists is intermixed with occasional pieces dating back to the 1930s and earlier. Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann’s simple desk with an inlaid writing surface of slate green oilcloth still looks fresh. A canonically modern leather and steel chair attributed to Charlotte Perriand, who worked with Le Corbusier, contrasts with the deliberately eccentric leather seat of a lowish armchair by the iconic Wharton Esherick (whose studio near Valley Forge is one of several tours promoted by the PFFS). There’s a good bit of Lalique glass, including a beautiful small faceted mushroom-shaped lamp.

On the other hand, the lesser Laliques are overshadowed by flamboyant Chihulys. Keizo Tsukada’s signature benches in heavy curved mahogany invite conversation. Jeff Webster’s simple circular mirror reflecting the reversed inscription (mirror writing!), "WE DANCE ROUND IN A RING AND SUPPOSE/BUT THE SECRET SITS IN THE MIDDLE AND KNOWS," has already sold. And who couldn’t put Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen’s compact Gothic blackboard to good use?

Wendy Wiesner’s pod-shaped Caged Cabinet of open-weave steel looks impractical but opens smoothly and has great shelves. Ric Allison’s art-nouveau-ish Fairest, a combination valet and cheval glass, holds its owner’s trousers on a bar, his cufflinks and shirt studs in a vest-pocket-high box and other accessories on a delicately proffered circular stand. Symmetry rules James Schriber’s Dresser, with three tall adjustable mirrors, paired quarter-circle drawers, touch lighting and a cylindrical stool.
There’s surreal humor in Alphonse Mattia’s Step Vanity with Fountain Pen. Drawers open under the steps and a carved book "balanced" on a carved black pen supports a mirror. Mattia is one of five highly regarded artists talking about their work at Wexler Gallery’s grand opening. The others are Rosanne Somerson, John Dunnigan, Timothy Philbrick and Peter Dean.

With Snyderman (303 Cherry St., 215-238-9576, currently featuring Yuko Shimizu’s richly painted furniture) and other nearby venues, Wexler Gallery establishes Old City as the premier location in the region for studio-made furniture and furnishings. For a truly encyclopedic survey, don’t miss the PFFS this weekend.