Furniture from KarenTiede Studio

My first experience with the fun of carving furniture came when the koala, which had been out to several shows, turned into a table and sold 15 minutes into its first outing after the glass shelf was added. The heron and hummingbird followed.

Some time later, I found myself with an overstock of 6' pine logs that needed to be carved quickly before they became bug food. I had already carved several obelisks and knew I could rip a flat surface onto the log; the inspiration for media shelves came from a welded unit I saw in a catalog. A new category of furniture was born.

Increasing frustration with the limitations of grain and the smaller logs available in the NC Piedmont has led me into joinery and the world of rustic furniture. I was given the branch structure of an enormous oak tree that came down in a thunderstorm and the twists and curves of the logs are inspiring many beds and chairs.

Media Units (CDs and DVDs)


A River Runs Through It	Leaf	Fish	Triangles
This carving spoke clearly once the front and back were removed and the internal grain was visible. The spaces for CDs were located to allow the grain to swirl around them and the name appeared once the first layer of color was applied. $350	The leaves on this media shelf were a preliminary exploration of the dacha designs which were more fully developed in Fish. $245	The fish and scroll work on this media shelf were inspired by a book of designs for Russian Dacha carvings found during a recent trip to Moscow to welcome my newly-adopted nephew into the family. $295	The inspiration for Triangles was drawn from a border used in the Book of Chad, an illuminated gospel (similar to the Book of Kells) used in a monastery in Wales. Sold.

Chairs and Benches


Curved Carved Chair Planks were cut from a curved log; legs are from smaller branches off the same tree. Construction notes Sold.	Oak Chair From the same tree as Curved Carved Chair; fully pegged and glued. Finished for exterior use and sold before the finish dried. Sold.	Chaise Longue Another chair from the same tree; plum legs and steel bracing. Picture taken at the 20th North Carolina Botanical Garden Sculpture Show, where the piece won a Judge's Special Mention award.

Y Bench The top of this bench is a slice through a branch join of the same oak tree used in the chairs above; the base is concrete so the bench can be placed anywhere in the garden. Sold.

Occasional Tables


Koala	Hummingbird	Heron in the Reeds	Butler Bear
Carving Koala was my first experience at having the wood tell me what it wanted to be. The log started out the other way around and as I started to carve, said, "Not penguins. This is a koala in a tree." So it was. Sold	Hummingbird was carved as a demo during the Old Time Tractor Show in Denton, NC, several years ago. Sold	Heron is a variation on a classic chainsaw carving, that of a wading bird supported by reeds. Most carvers don't like to paint and simply grey-wash their birds. I like color. Sold	Butler is a classic chainsaw carving, combining the basic bear with a touch of functionality. He is burned and sealed with an oil finish. Sold