MICHAEL RETTER with SCOTT MITCHELL
Exquisite Marquetry and Fine Furniture from an Australian Master
A Wood Masters Series Exhibition
5 December, 2009 – 20 January, 2010
Opening Saturday 5th December at 2.30pm by Aldo Giurgola AM

Marquetry and inlay were inspired by the ancient craft of intarsia - the making of decorative and pictorial mosaics by the inlaying of precious and exotic material into or onto a groundwork of solid wood.

Michael Retter first started marquetry as a pastime while at sea as a marine engineer in the late 1950’s. In 1975, Michael devoted more and more time to developing his skills and his markets until in 1984 he was able to start thinking about marquetry as a profession.

Michael’s work is uniquely Australian in subject matter and materials. Pieces of his work have been presented by the Australian Government to overseas dignitaries from Japan, Ethiopia, Greece, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, Canada, US, UK, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, Korea, and China.

An artist of international fame, Michael Retter was named Marquetarian of the Year at New York’s Marquetry Society of America Exhibition in 1984. In 1989 Michael was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) medal for his work.

Michael’s largest commission and most public work to date was in 1988 for the new Parliament House in Canberra. The first part of the commission involved the making of 56 monochrome frieze panels for the Cabinet Ante-room. A second commission was for a ceiling marque and more commissions followed including 20 more panels, marquetry on the Speaker’s chair and for the Australian Coat of Arms.

Another major public project was for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. Michael supplied nine small marquetry insets for the VIP dining table and sideboard, plus a set of 15 panels each 90cm square, covering the end wall of the same room.

The work in this exhibition displays three areas of Michaels work. The wall hangings are indicative of an artist at the highest level of his skills, and indeed of marquetry worldwide. Presented in two sizes the works depict the Australian flora and fauna in all its uniqueness and beauty, accurately represented and documented on each unique piece.

There are also a limited number of works that form a mini retrospective of his more than 35 years of professional artistry. And then there are utilitarian pieces worked in collaboration with Canberra fine furniture maker Scott Mitchell. The long-time friends share a passion for all things wood and the decorative and subtle artistry of Michael’s marquetry is harmoniously injected into the designs and finesse of Scott’s fine furniture pieces.

The Gallery is proud to be able to present this major and most important exhibition of Michael Retter’s exquisite artistry as another of its Masters in Wood 25th Anniversary series.
L to R Scott Mitchell, BWWG Artistic Director David Mac Laren and Michael Retter in preparation at the Scott Mitchell Design workshop in Canberra

MICHAEL RETTER with SCOTT MITCHELL
Exquisite Marquetry and Fine Furniture from an Australian Master
A Wood Masters Series Exhibition
5 December, 2009 – 20 January, 2010
Opening Saturday 5th December at 2.30pm by Aldo Giurgola AM

Marquetry and inlay were inspired by the ancient craft of intarsia - the making of decorative and pictorial mosaics by the inlaying of precious and exotic material into or onto a groundwork of solid wood.

Michael Retter first started marquetry as a pastime while at sea as a marine engineer in the late 1950’s. In 1975, Michael devoted more and more time to developing his skills and his markets until in 1984 he was able to start thinking about marquetry as a profession.

Michael’s work is uniquely Australian in subject matter and materials. Pieces of his work have been presented by the Australian Government to overseas dignitaries from Japan, Ethiopia, Greece, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, Canada, US, UK, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, Korea, and China.

An artist of international fame, Michael Retter was named Marquetarian of the Year at New York’s Marquetry Society of America Exhibition in 1984. In 1989 Michael was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) medal for his work.

Michael’s largest commission and most public work to date was in 1988 for the new Parliament House in Canberra. The first part of the commission involved the making of 56 monochrome frieze panels for the Cabinet Ante-room. A second commission was for a ceiling marque and more commissions followed including 20 more panels, marquetry on the Speaker’s chair and for the Australian Coat of Arms.

Another major public project was for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. Michael supplied nine small marquetry insets for the VIP dining table and sideboard, plus a set of 15 panels each 90cm square, covering the end wall of the same room.

The work in this exhibition displays three areas of Michaels work. The wall hangings are indicative of an artist at the highest level of his skills, and indeed of marquetry worldwide. Presented in two sizes the works depict the Australian flora and fauna in all its uniqueness and beauty, accurately represented and documented on each unique piece.

There are also a limited number of works that form a mini retrospective of his more than 35 years of professional artistry. And then there are utilitarian pieces worked in collaboration with Canberra fine furniture maker Scott Mitchell. The long-time friends share a passion for all things wood and the decorative and subtle artistry of Michael’s marquetry is harmoniously injected into the designs and finesse of Scott’s fine furniture pieces.

The Gallery is proud to be able to present this major and most important exhibition of Michael Retter’s exquisite artistry as another of its Masters in Wood 25th Anniversary series.
L to R Scott Mitchell, BWWG Artistic Director David Mac Laren and Michael Retter in preparation at the Scott Mitchell Design workshop in Canberra

23 January – 21 April
STUDIO FURNITURE 2010
In association with Australian Wood Review magazine and Craft Australia

70 WORKS OF FINE FURNITURE BY 66 MAKERS

Bungendore Wood Works Gallery and Australian Wood Review Magazine opened their second Bi-annual exhibition, Studio Furniture 2010 on Australia Day, Saturday 23 January at 6pm in the Octagon ArtSpace.

The exhibition is the result of an Australia wide competition sponsored by the Wood Works Gallery with $11000 made available for four prizes for the winning entrants.

Over 138 entries were received and from those 70 pieces of furniture from 66 individual wood workers and furniture makers were selected to make up the most extensive exhibition ever held at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery.

The exhibition was opened and awards announced at the Gallery by Catrina Vignando, General Manager of Craft Australia, the premier advocacy body for Craft practitioners in Australia and media partner for the event.

The 70 accepted entries for the exhibition come from furniture makers from around Australia.
New South Wales is represented by 23 makers, with 15 from Queensland, 6 from Western Australia, 5 from Tasmania, 4 from Victoria. 2 from South Australia and 7 from the ACT Region.

The ACT Region entrants are furniture makers Gino Monteleone, Josh Carmody, Amy Fiveash, Scott Mitchell, Mirsad Ramic, Myles Gostelow and Gallery Artistic Director David Mac Laren who is exhibiting out of competition.

Entries for the competition include stools, chairs, lounges, hall, bedside and coffee tables, cabinets, sideboards, mirrors, lamps, chests of drawers, bookshelves, boxes, desks and a dining suite. The brief for the competition was for a well-considered and crafted piece of furniture, made with saleability within a gallery setting in mind. The design and finish needs to communicate a “studio furniture” attitude: that is, an emphasis on individually designed and made work showing an appropriate use of hand work so as to distinguish it from mass-produced manufacture.

Wood and/or wood products (manufactured boards) are the primary material with other materials able to be incorporated such as metal, glass, leather, recycled paper, fibreglass matting and found objects. Most pieces are made exclusively from Australian timber species with a sprinkling of exotics such as Peruvian walnut, American cherry, African padauk and ebony. One occasional table features ink-jet digital prints as part of the design.

With 66 individual makers and 70 pieces, the administration and accommodation of the work in the Gallery has proved a challenge with pieces displayed throughout in the Gallery as some have proved too heavy to place in the upstairs Octagon ArtSpace generally reserved for specific exhibitions in the Gallery.

While all of the work is exceptional and meets the criteria as above, some are bound to be standouts that closely epitomise the organisers ideas of “studio furniture,” which by definition wrestles with the notions of artistic expression and functionality, either in terms of decoration or practical use.

STOP PRESS

At the exhibition opening the winners of various prizes were announced. 1st prize went to Alby Johnston's Rainforest Rocker, 2nd to Neil Erasmus' ELL Cabinet, 3rd to Tony Kenway's Cunji Dining Suite and 4th to Adrian Potter's Ned's Chair. A special Acquisition Award went to Des King for his Shoji Screen and the works of Frank Wiesner (Cabinet), Myles Gostelow (Roo Chair), Simon Ramsey (Music Chair), Darren Oates (Hall Table), Fukutoshi Uneo (Dress Code Table), Will Marx, (Ulysses Chaise Lounge) and Anton Gerner (Cabinet) were Highly Commended by Judges David Boucher (Boucher & Co), Evan Dunstone (Dunstone Design) and Will Matthysen.

Details and images of the works in this exhibition will be posted progressively.

You are able to see a full catalogue of the works in this extensive exhibition in the February Edition of Australian Wood Review magazine, available from your newsagent from February 25.

EXHIBITION WORKS
Errors and Omissions Excepted - For full details of all works email: gallery@bwoodworks.com.au

STUDIO FURNITURE 2010 - An Independent Review

BUNGENDORE WOOD WORKS GALLERY

Tables, desks and cabinets seem to be the favoured pieces for the second biennial Studio Furniture exhibition and competition.

An exhibition like this gives makers an opportunity to develop new designs, test them in the market and establish a price. It is also a chance for them to showcase their work and make a piece they may not have otherwise have done – but they take a risk. Artistic Director of Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, David Mac Laren calculated that it would, conservatively, take two weeks on average to complete each piece on exhibit; possibly time wasted, if the work does not sell.

The brief for the competition was for a well-considered and crafted piece of furniture, made with saleability within a gallery setting in mind. The design and finish was required to communicate a “studio furniture” attitude: that is, an emphasis on individually designed and made work showing an appropriate use of hand work so as to distinguish it from mass-produced manufacture.

Over 135 pieces were submitted with 70 selected being exhibited. This is considerably more than the first exhibition in 2008. David Boucher (Boucher & Co), Evan Dunstone (Dunstone Design) and Will Matthysen judged the competition and awarded the total prize money of $11,000. During heated judicial discussions Mac Laren spontaneously – and generously – created and added a fourth prize of $1,000 to the original $5,000 first, $3,000 second and $2,000 third prizes.

First prize was awarded to Alby Johnston from far northern Queensland for Rainforest Rocker in Red Cedar. The back and the seat are carved to represent two leaves from a lush tropical plant, their juncture being elegantly completed. As the judges said, it sails close to the wind in terms of structure and aesthetics, but is well resolved and successfully meets the set criteria. Somehow, a small carved frog and snake that enhance the back of the seat manage not to take the chair over the top. The deep red colour is highlighted by the play of light on the carved surface of the seat and back.

Neil Erasmus, from Western Australia, was awarded second prize for Ell, a hall table in blackbutt, jarrah and ebony with steel, delrin, acrylic and leather. The judges declared this work as amazing: inside, outside, and upside down. The central drawer is as close to perfect as any of them had seen. The cabinet is elegantly balanced and appears to float. The contrasts of colours, textures and horizontal planes are finely resolved. A small decorative motif draws the eye to the centre of the draw. The craftsmanship is perfectly executed and this is a most successful piece.

The third prize was given to Cunji Dining Suite by Tony Kenway, a dining table with six chairs. The hghly figured and richly coloured top in quilted raindrop and Tasmanian blackwood, is also highly polished. The base is a sculptured variation of a traditional pedestal for a round table, and the design is completely resolved. The chair backs complement both the table top and the base and the seats are shaped for comfort.

Adrian Potter was awarded the spontaneous fourth prize for Ned’s Chair. We were told that it is based on Ned Kelly’s helmet, although it appears as though it might also be informed by an art deco design. The back and base are curved to embrace the sitter and the seat and back are upholstered in Eastern grey kangaroo. The colour and texture of the fur contrasts with the smooth, dark ebony of the back, arms and legs. It is witty and a well resolved design that is layered with meaning, as is Potter’s work generally.

Another work that appealed to me for its reference to art deco furniture was Mirrored Hall Stand by Jeff Phillips. It is modest but well finished and small enough to fit into a small home with a narrow hall way.

The judges awarded an acquisitive prize to Japanese Folding Screen in kauri, huon pine and Shoji paper by Des King. The patterning is reminiscent of Japanese textiles and the screen is beautiful in its complexity but apparent simplicity.

Several works have decorative marquetry panels, for example Peter Young’s Falling Cubes Drinks Cabinet and Museum Piece Cabinet, by Megan Christie with an Australian landscape scene viewed through a ‘wire’ fence.

An unusual piece is Dress Code/Multi Functional Stool by Fukutoshi Ueno in silver ash, which has been digitally printed with another textile pattern. It is one of those useful objects that could be used for sitting on or as a table.

A range of boxes – for jewellery, treasures, documents and collections – is also on exhibit. All are well resolved, interesting in their design and construction and serve the dual purpose of being both useful and functional.

There is a large range of furniture on exhibit, ranging from a small, decorated mirror titled Ocean Spirit in decorated red cedar to dining suites. With exhibits spread throughout the gallery, I found it difficult to sort out the exhibits from the general stock despite the big, easily-read identifying labels. While it is impossible to display everything in the Octagonal Gallery upstairs, I feel that the audience should be assisted to easily find all works.

The development of an exhibition and competition such as this is a huge undertaking and is welcomed and appreciated by both the audience and makers – whether or not they have work on display.
There is a great deal of energy and experimentation in fine furniture designing and making in Australia right now, and it is a exciting time for everyone – makers and buyers alike – to see the work in a global context and grab the opportunities.

© Meredith Hinchliffe
Approved to value Australian ceramics, glass, textiles, jewellery and leatherwork from 1970 for the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program
meredith@canberra.teknet.net.au

For a report on the Studio Furniture 2010 Conference by Meredith Hinchliffe, Reflections on Organising the Conference by David Mac Laren or the Presentation by Meredith Hinchliffe on Provenance, download the relevant attached document at the end of this page.

CATALOGUE OF EXHIBITED WORKS

Roeland Ansems Deco Coffee Table $2950Phillip Blacklow V2a Lounge $6600Tony Beattie ‘Silhouette’ Writing Table $3895Ray Brien Side Table $1205 SOLDPhillip Blacklow V1 Companion Reading Light $1980 SOLDGary Bennett Windows to the Lagoon $12,000Ian Bell Ocean Spirit $1320Nicholas Coyle Parse Chair $1650John Coventry By George 05 Chair $4425Richard Coles Jenna Chair $1920 SOLDMegan Christie Museum Piece N/AJosh Carmody Legless Stool $825David Elms Moon over the Kaipara Box $3750Amy Fiveash Dressing Companion $12,045Neil Erasmus “ELL” Hall Table $9900George Gavaric Hall Table $9900Anton Gerner Cabinet 0028 $16,400Leslie Goldmann Rosewood Shaker Sideboard $10,315John Gallagher Collectors Display Cabinet $6600 SOLDMyles Gostelow Roo Study 1” Chair $16,200Geoff Hague Australian Landscape Desk $19,500Geoff Hague Copper leg chair $3500Gray Hawk ‘For Sam’ Rocker $14,850Jon Hemming Destination Kimberley Hall Table $4125Rod Jackson Sideboard $13,200Alby Johnston Rainforest Rocker $16,500Simon Hooper Rowden Chair $6600Ian Houghton Asian Inspired Collectors Cabinet $6600Tony Kenway ‘Cunji’ Dining Suite $50,130Des King Shoji Folding Screen $5000 SOLDHelmut Lueckenhausen CRC Standing Lamp $12,375Peter MacDonald ‘Dumosa’ Hall Table $4125 SOLDJohn Madden Matrix 2 Table $5445Peter Makula Passing Clouds Box $4950Will Marx Ulysses Chaise $9405Alex McDowell Reception Desk $13,200Michael McGrath Clarence: the Hall Table $2310Scott Mitchell Lily Lamp $3300Gino Monteleone Entertainment Unit $5250Darren Oates Hall Table $2475 SOLDSimon Parsons Cunieform Desk $16,363Andrew Pinnock Cricket Table $2970Richard Moore Adios Hall Stand N/AAdrian Potter Ned’s Chair $3960Jeff Phillips Hallstand with Drawer $3960 SOLDRoss Purdon Trio Box $825 SOLDMirsad Ramic Scandanavian Spring Chair $12,375Simon Ramsey Musical Chair (for guitar) $1240 SOLDNick Randall Tangent Table $1800Mingus Rose Bedside Tables N/ALeon Sadubin Stave Frame Collector’s Cabinet $14,850 SOLDBrendan Sharpe Entrance Table $5775 SOLDGordon Smith Aspire Chair $1725Alex Springall Collector’s Chest $2970Jeff Tickner Delphie Mirror $1275Toby Tolomei Allure Hall Table $5445 SOLDKim Tucker Hall Table $2780 SOLDFukutoshi Ueno Dress-Code Occasional Table $3960Alan Walker TEN + 1 $4705 SOLDBruce Wearne Eucalyptical Harmony $2725Frank Wiesner Side-Board $14,025Derek Wiffen Low Window Table $1725 SOLDWarwick Wright Tower of Drawers $7260Peter Young Falling Cubes Drinks Cabinet $5775 SOLD