Jim Krenov

Re: Jim Krenov

HC Sakman

>Hi RJ!

Happy new year to you! It's nice to see you around here.

It seems though he is really into asymetrical doors. I like the idea. I am in for any new (different) design ideas as long as they don't look ridiculous just for the sake of being "different", "unique" or "original".

Do you have any idea what kind of obscure (but looking awesome) wood that is? ;-)

Chico...

Re: Jim Krenov

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Anyone have a idea of what his work sells for?

Re: Jim Krenov

R.J.Whelan

>Chico ... not sure of the wood - sure is cool though ... rj

Re: Jim Krenov

R.J.Whelan

>Jim .... $25,000 + (that's retail; I'd guess wholesale direct from JK would be in the $15-18,000 range). He only built four pieces last year.

He's represented by Prittam and Eames and there's a link on the website.

I just made a table for a gentleman that collects American Studio furniture and he bought one of Mr. Krenov's cabinets on stand from an original owner (24 x 14 x 65) for $32,000.

Re: Jim Krenov

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>I am wondering if the doors are really asymmetrical or if that is an aberration. If one is going to have assymetry, it needs to be a bit more distinct.

Krenov has written that he is against doing work that is "original" for "originalality's sake". I sometimes wonder what he thinks about today's "studio" scene.

Nice work if you can get it!

Steve Kubien

>

Re: Jim Krenov

Steve Kubien

>Thanks for the link RJ. I know we all have our own preferences be they Shaker, Mission, Federal etc but I just love Krenov's work. It just begs to be used and enjoyed..

Steve Kubien

Ajax, Ontario

Re: Jim Krenov

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Thanks I was very curious. Seems to me they will do nothing but appreciate in value.

Re: Jim Krenov

R.J.Whelan

>Jim .... I met a gentleman who waited six years for a Maloof rocker and settee - $50,000 - yikes.

The two pieces have their own room in which to be view and are never sat upon. Personally, I think furniture should be used, but I sure can appreciated someone being that big of a fan.

rj

Re: Jim Krenov

R.J.Whelan

>Steve ... I'm pretty much a Shaker/Mission man myself, but JK's furniture just knocks me out.

I must admit copying a couple of pieces for my own home (not for sale) - both wall hung cabinets to display collections of small objects. I love his description of some of his pieces as being a home for precious objects - that's exactly the way I think of the two cabinets I built ... rj

Re: Jim Krenov

GolfSteve in Calgary

>One of the local colleges (NAIT - the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) has a Maloof chair that Mr. Maloof build when he visited NAIT.

NAIT carries this chair around to the woodworking shows trying to drum up business for their school.

The chair was at the Calgary woodshow in 2003. Being rather shy by nature, I was surprised that I even asked to sit in the chair, but was even more surprised when they allowed me to sit in it. Pretty comfy although it was a bit too big for me.

Re: Jim Krenov

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>I agree furniture should be used. Personally the cabinet would hold some great liquor and a few glasses.

Jeff...

HC Sakman

>I have to disagree. You said: << If one is going to have assymetry, it needs to be a bit more distinct. >>

In my opinion, accomplishing this in a subtle way is more of a challenge not to mention more distinguished rather than making it obvious that appears like a sore thumb. It's a fine line, really hard to described. I think it'd be best expressed with actual samples.

Chico...

Re: Jim Krenov

Mike Hamilton

>Is it my eyes, the cropping, or is Mr. Krenov making the cabinet carcase sides two different thicknesses in some if these most recent exanples?

Regards,

Mike Hamilton

Plainfield, IN

Re: Jeff...

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>As much as Krenov has worked outside of the box in terms of stylistic elements, he generally holds very close to classical proportionality. If that cabinet really does have a door ~1/8" wider than the other, especially in the context of only two doors, it would be an unusual artifact in his larger body of work. I will have to take a look through his books but as I recall, when he has used assymetry in the past, it has usually been clearly stated.

Re: Jim Krenov

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Sam Maloof believes his chairs should be used. He has spent many years making sure they were both sturdy and comfortable. I got a chance to sit in one, once. I found it to be very supportive and sensuous. He says he builds them to fit himself, not any specific customer. He is a lot smaller than I am, and a lot shorter, but I still find them surprisingly comfortable.

Re: Jim Krenov

Matti Kuikka

>Is that the table we have been eagerly waiting pictures of?

Matti Kuikka

Heresy alert

Clay

>I am VERY hesitant to post this, but I've seen even more outlandish opinions here, and perhaps I've waited long enough that this has scrolled sufficiently for most folks not to even see this, so ...

To me, his current work resembles the earlier work only in proportion - and that is to the advantage of the older work. I pulled out my copies of his books before I wrote this, and compared the illustrations there to the 2004 pieces on his site. (Keep in mind that me criticizing Krenov is like ... well, I can't even think of a comparison that's outlandish enough. But, with that caveat ... )

1 - The older pieces' drawer/cabinet pulls were much more graceful and delicate in appearance.

2 - The stock selected for the doors in the older pieces drew you in, closer and closer. The grain complemented the shapes in ways you couldn't quite explain, but they were, above all, quiet pieces. The new ones have much wilder-grain doors, but to me the newer pieces invite you to step back to admire, not forward to touch, because the wood's figure is so extreme.

3 - The new habit of putting three or four different woods on the drawer faces looks contrived and artificial, when compared to the grain flow and subtlety of coloration of the earlier drawers.

4 - The new drawers themselves are much less gracefully built - just look for yourself - compare the drawer DTs in your Krenov books to the ones in these 2004 pieces.

5 - The drawers and dividers on the new pieces look too heavy to me. The drawer sides on the 'current' piece especially look out of scale.

OK, that's all, I had to get it off my chest. I have met Mr. Krenov several times, and want to say in my defense that I have the utmost respect for not just his lifetime of teaching and work, but for the contribution his writing has made to the world of studio furniture. And, at 80-plus years old, with that body of work behind him, he can be as grouchy as he likes, and spend his golden years painting pastoral scenes on Panther saws, for all I care.

Stay tuned for my next diatribe - "Michelangelo, da Vinci and Shakespeare - Merely Overrated, Or Utterly Talentless Hacks?"

Clay

Re: Heresy alert

matt

>Clay,

Nothing wrong with speaking your mind, it sounds to me like you've placed a great deal of thought and consideration into your post. I have just read one of his books for the first time and will go back to it again prompted by your opinions. Whether or not I will agree with you is imaterial, but you have stimulated more thought on an interesting topic.

Matt

Re: Heresy alert

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>Clay- I think you make some good, respectful observations, especially the contrast between objects to be viewed from a distance vs. objects that asks to touched. There is a loss of intimacy.

I think things have changed significantly from the 70's when his work stimulated a resurgence in approaching cabinetmaking as a craft, vs. the current studio emphasis on art for the sake of making a statement. I would not go so far as to say that his current work has succumbed to this emphasis, but it may have some influence. Who knows?

I also liked the variety in his earlier work - music stands, clocks, tables, wall cabinets, boxes etc. Perhaps that was the result of working for clients. Since he became so well established in the 80's, he may be free to build what he wants to build, which is clearly cabinets on stands. Clients that have specific needs, and the interaction with them, may provide a needed element to the process. One is creating and building to please others, not just oneself.

Eating Kentucky Crow

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>Chico,

Looking at the cabinets on his website, it appears that the slightly assymetric two-door cabinet is something of a current trend in his work and not a unique artifact as I stated above.

Got any ketchup?

Not heresy.

Steve Kubien

>Hi Clay,

That's not heresy. That's your opinion. Nothing wrong with that, especially when you give well thought out answers. We've all got our likes and dislikes.

Thanks for chiming in.

Steve Kubien

Re: Heresy alert

Bob Dodge

>Hi Clay,

That was an interesting analysis. Goes to show how two different people, view the same work. In my case, the pics put an instant smile on my face. I found the projects refreshing, and a new direction for Mr. Krenov. That small cluster if drawers, with the different woods, and even different contrasts on the pulls, wellllll, simply captivating. The eye, is just naturally drawn to that cluster, much like it would be when cracking open an oyster, and admiring a pearl.

There's no denying that Jame's "pulls", are haunting on the older pieces. I was fixated by that very feature on his current piece. To me, they appear to be slightly skewed, which I found absolutely gorgeous. It was simply another "curiousity". That man works magic for me.

All the best, Bob

Thanks for that, R.J.!

Barb Siddiqui - Wenatchee, WA

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