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<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tangled
Art: Michael Monko - woodworker / artist creates unique freeform
and rustic furniture as art. Exploring new and refreshing furniture
designs
using both the natural form and dimensional wood. Much of the wood
he uses for his furniture is pine, douglas fir, manzanita and oak.
However recently, oak is receiving the most attention. "I find
it works best with the style and vision I see for my furniture. It's
very strong and is definitely more forgiving than the softer woods
such as pine. It has an incredible amount of character and gives
true meaning to the term 'tangled art' and 'freeform'. Although
my work
could be considered 'rustic furniture', I prefer not to think of
that way. I believe it to be 'fine furniture' that has a freeform,
rustic
and wild appeal, but with the grace and refined quality that we
would expect inside our homes. 'Outside' is best left outside,
but there's nothing
wrong with taming the elements to bring them closer to the living
space. Like filling a vase with freshly picked wildflowers and
placing it on your dining room table.The
goal with my furniture is to grab the attention of someone from a distance.
Using the twisted oak tree limbs for table legs and chairs can definitely
accomplish this task. As a person comes closer, the magnetic pull becomes
stronger as they see the detail of the mortise-and-tenon joinery. The
use of other materials such as hemp twine are sometimes used to weave
the seats and backs of my chairs. This adds a distinctive quality to
my work. Recently, I have also been exploring the use of some more "modern" "materials
such as plywood and a product called TimberStrand (commonly used in
building construction) to make slabs of wood that I can then shape
to fit. The result is an exciting and refreshing new look. Not
just rustic furniture, but rather fine furniture with rustic appeal. "Celebrating
the natural form by creating tangled art"— Michael
Monko</font>
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