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Meet the Artist: April Pugh Continued ...

"I just think the way the Japanese (design and build projects) is so intelligent, so clean - the non-mechanical joinery with wedged tenons and sliding dovetails. They use the wood itself to make a joint using hand tools and chisels that I think is so much more rewarding than using a table saw to make a mortise and tenon."

In her home shop, which is literally in her home's living room, April oftentimes displays a piece of wood for a long period of time so she can constantly look at it and best determine how it should be used. "Some of my furniture that (incorporates) raw slabs, it is the wood itself that inspires me; the grain, the color. I've really tried to alter it as little as possible. I'm not one to use dyes or stains. Sometimes it's just a magnificent switch of wood that inspires me. As George Nakashima says, you just want to give it a second life."

"The beauty of the wood presents itself and you want to turn it into a utilitarian piece and make it useful. You glorify the piece by making a useful object."

Aluminum Barn cypress, pine, redwood, leather 12 x 9 x 9 inches

This style is evident in April's piece Cantilevered Coffee Table, made from Black Walnut and Ash, and her Cherry Coffee Table, which is made of Cherry and Black Walnut.

Another aspect in much of April's work is the beauty of the structure itself, such as her series of miniature round barns. Her Aluminum Barn and Shingled Barn are designed after actual round barns, a building style that she is trying to preserve through her work.

"If you look at the round barn structures themselves, they're absolutely incredible," she said. "They are structurally beautiful objects. Round barns are disappearing around the country. It's cheaper to just go get a metal pole barn than fix a round barn. I hope through my art I can recognize some of the history and preserve it somewhat."

April, who includes working on her motorcycle and wooden and fiberglass boat-building among her interests, plans to build a full-size round barn on the new property she is buying. Eventually it will become her shop, which would be a considerable change from her current in-home workshop.

"When I told (my biological mother) I had a shop in the house, she wasn't sure what to expect," April said. "When she visited for the first time she was impressed by how clean and organized everything was."

Shingled Barn redwood, oak, cedar, leather 15 x 9 x 9 inches

While April does most of her small projects at home, she also fully utilizes the Central Shop at the Art Institute for larger projects, although it is hard to find uninterrupted time to work on her own pieces.

For many of her projects, April's favorite woods to work with are Mahogany and American Black Walnut. "First of all, with Mahogany, it's a harder, dense wood, but it machines so beautifully. Mahogany does everything you ask it to do, with the exception of bending," April said. "American Black Walnut is just a unique wood in that it's never boring. It has wonderful crotch grain patterns, and the color is just amazing; reds and mochas. It is so deep and rich, by the time you add oil to it the color just pops.

"I get teased quite a bit in the shop because Mahogany is by far my favorite wood to work with. I called it the king of woods. I got a lot of teasing about that. Everyone always says, 'Why don't you use Mahogany, April? It's the king of woods!' "

Good-natured teasing aside, April thoroughly appreciates being able to match her vocation with her avocation. Her passion is her profession, and she fully realizes her good fortune. "It takes more than a single lifetime to learn everything about woodworking," April said, "so I strive to learn as much as I can in a single lifetime about woodworking."

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