A look inside
The Workshop
By working predominantly by hand, I’ve fostered a working environment that’s calm and quiet, and that allows me to settle into the flow of my work. This approach often permits me to work outdoors, immersed in nature, and closer to the elements.
Tucked away in the leafy depths of my garden, my chairmaking workshop consists of a timber framed building, 12’x15’, where I do the bulk of my making, and also a ‘Bodgers’ timber framed shelter where I do my woodturning on a pole-lathe.
I am a green woodworker; I make my chair parts from relatively fresh ‘wet’ or ‘green’ timber. This allows me to split parts from logs, and shape them using traditional hand tools whilst the wood is softer.
These split or ‘riven’ parts, are then turned on the lathe, or steamed and bent onto forms to provide strong curved components. All these ‘green’ parts are then kiln dried before the chair is assembled, ensuring a strong tightly framed chair.
The Making
The glossary of chairmaking tools reflects the individuality of the craft: the froe, gutter adze, travisher, scorp, spoon bit, drawknife and snake coffin, to name but a few.
Each chair is a journey, one that often starts with me spending a day in the woods, selecting freshly felled, quality logs of ash, oak, beech, or cherry. These are then split to size using wedges and then fashioned into the components of the chair. Legs, stretchers & posts are turned on a pole lathe….arms, spindles and crests are shaved to size. Bent parts are created by steaming, and then clamping pieces to forms, and leaving them to set.
The most fun part of the process is carving the seat. The shape is cut from a single seasoned board; elm, oak, ash or chestnut. I like my seats to be strongly sculptural, generous, and deeply carved.
The chair is carefully assembled, with an emphasis on comfort and strength. I like to finish my chairs with a dark ‘milk paint’ that contrasts well with the woods natural grain; this lends the the chair a modern flavour and a strong silhouette. My chairs are an attractive addition to both contemporary and traditional spaces.
My chairs are built wholly within a tradition, by hand, and embody both my creative history and artistic vision.
“By exploring the marriage of traditional and contemporary aesthetic, I’m creating furniture that comfortably inhabits both modern and period spaces.”
– Jason Mosseri
Bespoke Chair
Enquiries
To enquire about purchasing or commissioning a chair, to discuss your ideas, or to find out about upcoming shows, galleries and outlets, please contact me.