Andrew Pate Retrospective: 50 Years of Woodwork, Furniture and Design.

There has never been any doubt that I had an affinity for wood or that it was in my blood.  My grandfather ran a fine timber and veneer business in London.  My father built many beautiful pieces of furniture and redecorated and maintained our home.  We did projects throughout my childhood, heading down to the basement workshop evenings and on weekends, assimilating woodwork skills without knowing they would be part of a lifelong interest as well a way to make a living.  My most enjoyable course in high school was mechanical drawing which gave me a valuable tool to solve problems, design and convey ideas to future clients.  

Graduating high school in 1969 I joined the counterculture with dreams of being a craftsman, artist and free spirit.  It was the heyday of re-newed interest in making things by hand, learning traditional crafts, respecting materials and pushing back against the sameness of manufactured goods.   I started building furniture and cabinets, experimenting with joinery and materials.  Over the years I collected books on woodworking, crafts, architecture, art and design and visited historic house sites, galleries and museum collections and sought out contemporary makers who were pushing the boundaries of the new Studio Furniture movement.  I also attended workshops at places like Haystack School and Penland to explore other crafts, materials and processes. The energy and exposure of these workshops has helped stimulate my creative process.  Some of the objects in this show are from those workshops.    My work has been influenced by Shaker ideals of simplicity and function, the high design of the Art Deco period and the unique interpretations of style and design by people like Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley.  I have worked at the drawing board,  in the woodshop and on construction sites,  consulting, problem solving and bringing design ideas to fruition.  Projects have ranged from furniture, cabinetry, and industrial design, to energy efficient houses, renovation, historic restoration and reproduction. 

I have enjoyed working with many clients over the years striving to produce high quality, thoughtful, functional spaces and objects with my own signature style.  Design is most rewarding when it is a collaboration with the client or another designer,  working together to achieve a special home, room or beautiful object.  My usual approach has been to listen carefully and take detailed notes and measurements.  I begin by making a scale drawing of the space or the parameters of the object.  I might have an idea, almost immediately, for the piece or the solution.  Sometimes I need to let it gestate, to let my unconscious mind work it out.  I have often thought that inspiration seems to grow and flow with time and experience.  Sometimes I let the wood lead the outcome, other times it is the desired function, and always to create something that has a certain balance, symmetry and harmony. It is interesting to look back on a lifetime of work and realize how varied and numerous are the projects I have had a hand in. Some of the pieces in the show are mine alone, others were done with the help of fellow craftsmen in the area.  I hope I am leaving a body of work that is recognized and appreciated for its elegance and beauty.   I hope you enjoy getting a glimpse of my life in woodworking.