December Public General Meeting - Dennis Loveland

Guild General Meeting

December 15, 2020

6:30 Social time  - 7:00 Meeting

Dennis Loveland

Loveland Woodworks

Our General Meeting is open to the public and is FREE  If interested in attending, you must register and the Zoom link will be sent to your email. 

Dennis Loveland has been working in wood for over four decades. In 1988, he founded Loveland Woodworks here in Portland. He had, what he describes on his website (https://www.custommade.com/by/lovelandwoodworks/) as, a “traditional apprenticeship from European craftsmen,” which he then augmented with classes from other craftsmen to refine his skill. His pieces incorporate the finest woods and are built not as mere furniture, but as heirlooms. He has exhibited in many art shows and is represented by galleries along the west coast. He has sold his personally designed pieces around the world. For Dennis, making furniture is about creating the finest furniture with the most thoughtful designs by combining traditional techniques with modern practices. His use of figured maple, cherry, and western walnut, as well as exotics from around the world, make his furniture pop.

The chair is one of most common pieces of household furniture. It is found in every home and is used by all family members every day. We take it for granted in such phrases as “sitting by the fire” or going to a “sit-down dinner.” It is the chair where we rest, where we think, and even where we sometimes sleep. At its most basic, the chair is a bunch of sticks held together to form a closed-top box where we park our behinds with a panel of some sort where we can rest our backs. But in the hands of Dennis Loveland, the chair becomes a work of art. Straight legs and backs take on sensuous curves and display the beauty of wood with all its color, texture, and uniqueness. Even the simple dining chair can take on new beauty as it catches the eye and draws us in, inviting us to sit and share dinner with others. There is nothing commonplace in Dennis’s chairs. 

Join us during our December meeting to hear Dennis tell us about his design process and construction techniques.