Re: Done..Glamour shots
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Thanks for the input on Sam and his Rockers.. I do however, have to say that not all of his chairs sat where the rocker touched the ground just below the rear leg. perhaps on his classic rockers but on these prototypes, where Sam's chair rested.. mine did as well.? I have enclosed pictures of 2 of his rockers to show where exactly they landed and stood. I have known Sam since my 20's..I'm in my late 50's now and have spent a lot of time with Sam even going to dinner alone with him. The stories you have heard are in fact, correct.. Sam had his "moments" according to the boys. but Sam was also a perfectionist and as we all know, artist and perfectionist tend to be temperamental to say the least.
On Monday, December 7, 2020, 09:10:51 AM PST, t d <tdonsker@...> wrote:
Also... beautiful work. And a quick observation. The easiest way to tell an authentic Maloof is the way the chair sits without an occupant. You will notice that with authentic Maloof chairs, the rocker touches the ground just below the rear leg. Recreations tend to lean forward, balancing below the front or center of the legs as yours does. I have never made a Maloof but have always loved and even sat in a couple of them. They are the epitome of comfort and i can still remember the feeling of the wooden back supports flexing to the shape of my spine. If you haven¡¯t already, take a look at the last chair Sam built. A chaise rocker. Arguably his best chair design ever. I recall a documentary about him saying he was working on it late one night and could not get back up, spending the night on the floor until his team found him the next day. He was a true craftsman, working until he couldn¡¯t anymore.? I had the pleasure of hanging out with his second in command (he worked with Sam for 30+ Years) and it was rather interesting to hear the behind the scenes gossip and not so great stories of Maloof. It only tainted his reputation slightly for me as he was at the end of the day a businessman, and the most sought after American craftsman for a large part of his career. The ego filled by the compliments of presidents can be brutal.? I was fortunate to meet Mike Mallory and his son at a show at LAX airport where my own chair was selected and displayed with Maloof¡¯s and a select group. If you haven't heard of John Nyquist, look him up. He was a contemporary of Maloof and Nakashima and even had one of his apprentices stolen by Maloof when times were tough and he could not stay busy. Nyquist was almost equal in design talent and equal in craftsmanship but terrible at marketing himself. His ladder back chairs echoed Maloofs rockers, but at the end of the day they all stemmed from the classic Windsor chair. Even Nakashima¡¯s chairs stem from the Windsor. I find that very interesting. One could argue almost all modern chairs do as well.? I spent a few afternoons with John at his humble studio before he passed last year. The stories were incredible and he was the humblest person I¡¯ve ever met. I assume in part because he never ¡°made it¡± in furniture like Maloof or Nakashima. He sold me several slabs of Walnut and billets of ebony. When I got him to sit down and price it he said, ¡°I paid $3.50 per bdft thirty years ago. I inaudibly gasped and held my tongue before saying ?DEAL. He went on to say, ¡°but I won¡¯t charge you nearly that much.¡± I think we all owe a impossible to pay debt of gratitude to these small studio craftsmen, and the recreation of their work is an excellent way to do so. Inspiring and mentoring young craftsmen is imperative as well. I was told that Sam was all too harsh on his son Oliver and that every piece Oliver showed with pride was smacked down by Maloof. It¡¯s important to learn from that and to not be overly critical with young craftsmen. I know that I myself began my career that way and have been conscious of that story especially given my own situation having a small boy.? Enough rambling, I hope you all can enjoy my own memories and stories of the legends. My career has provided me with several opportunities to learn some of the lesser known details of our collective heroes.? Taylor Donsker www.tdonsker.com 818.424.9046 On Dec 7, 2020, at 8:42 AM, t d via groups.io <tdonsker@...> wrote:
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