First a note from the Artist . . . .
I've been a Designer - Craftsman since 1972. I consider myself one of the fortunate people who have found work that they truly enjoy. I am excited by the challenge of designing distinctive, finely crafted furniture. While I enjoy building my own designs, I also enjoy creating a custom, personalized piece of furniture which can only come about after working closely with my clients and getting to know them. I use traditional joinery throughout, and expect all of my pieces to be handed down from generation to generation. The care and attention to details from wood selection to the fine hand-rubbed coats of finish are what my work is known for.

Some of Alan's Thoughts About The Work

(quotes for Custom Woodworking Magazine February 1999)
Based on a Article by: Joan Headley

Alan is known for his superb craftsmanship and original designs. He creates his pieces from the finest woods available. Below are a few of his thoughts on the work and processes used by this extraordinary craftsman.

"Quality is the most important element in my work. The pieces I create should not only be beautiful today but should stand the test of time and provide the same enjoyment for future generations."

"Fine furniture-making is at a zenith today due to the tools, availability of materials and adhesives and thanks to the groundwork laid by generations of previous furniture makers. I consider myself a link in the chain of knowledge and feel responsible to pass it on. So far, at least a half dozen people have worked and studied under me."

Alan is very particular about procuring the finest lumber available, and then carefully selects which part of which board will be used to highlight various design features. His simple, elegant designs reveal and spotlight the innate beauty of this remarkable natural resource.

"I'd say my forte is designing individualized furniture for people," Rosen said. "When I work for my clients, once I build a piece for them I will not repeat that design for anybody else. I will repeat my speculative work for the galleries, because those are my original designs, and a lot of people want these pieces in different sizes and different woods."

"When I left my two apprenticeships where I had worked primarily on antique reproductions, it took five years before I could build something that didn't look ancient. Now I can look almost anywhere- car lines even- and get ideas. But I still find that my classical training overrides everything that I do. I still proportion my work in the classical methods, and I consider my work as 'contemporary antiques'. I like to take a lot of old ideas and basic shapes and clean them up- get rid of a lot of the ornamentation, and just spend time in the detailing of the joinery."

Traditional joinery techniques (dovetails,sliding dovetails, mortise and tenon) are used throughout construction where appropriate.Alan's training started with an apprenticeship to George Kaplan who ran a shop in New York which employed 12 European cabinetmakers. "It was a super high-end, high-quality shop. When I joined him he was semi-retired and was performing mostly repairs on 18th and 19th century antiques which people would bring from Park Avenue, because he was a renowned repairer and refinisher. It was my job to take everything apart, and then he would make the new parts. We would then reassemble it as a team and he would refinish it. The pieces that rolled through that shop provided me with a textbook type of education in woodworking design. I saw for myself why some pieces lasted and why others didn't."

The finish is a multi-step process; the final dry-sanding is done with 400 grit sandpaper. The wood is then burnished with a fine synthetic pad (approximately 800-1000 grit equivalent) which polishes it. A penetrating oil is used to flood the wood and is allowed to soak for 1 to 2 hours. Then a mixture of polyurethane and oil mixed with thinners is applied, then wet-sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. This creates a 'slurry" of fine dust and oil mixture, which seals the pores in the wood surfaces. The piece is then buffed dry with cotton rags. This process is repeated over the next 3 days using progressively finer grits until the final polish is achieved. A protective coat of wax is applied as the final step. Our finish has another major advantage; besides being tough and beautiful, it is also very user-friendly as far as repairing scratches, etc.

 

If you would like to see a list of Galleries, a partial list of Alan's Commissons and Predella Work " Church Commissions "
Please click on the tiles above
to see pictures of his work on this site go to our The Gallery Page by clicking here.
 
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Designer & Craftsman of Fine Furniture
3740 Legoe Bay Rd.
Lummi Island, WA 98262
Phone: 360 758-7452
e-mail: arfurniture at cybermesa dot com