The craftsmen may cringe at my simplified reductions of their work, but my focus was simply on form and light
Any signs of Spring were delayed by an annoying cold spell here in Philadelphia. As it was my week to stay here, I opted to do something indoors. A quick Philly weekend events search brought me to the 17th Annual Invitational Furniture Show.
To my surprise, one of the exhibitors was a fellow named Micheal Doerr. Now I never met Michael before, but he and my late great friend Donny Laing were good buddies while learning their craft as wood gods. We had emailed a bit as he had come to find my unfinished story about the life of Donny Laing. Yet circumstance never allowed us to connect.
Well I will say this about the show – I was surprised! Sure there was a fair amount of traditional stuff, and very little “artsy & crafty” stuff. Mostly lot’s of good solid design by folks that really work hard. It was a show that I would have expected to see in Barcelona. How reassuring to see it here in my 2nd home of Philly.
The show apparently in the past was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Perhaps the dismal economy shrunk it down to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Bravo – I have been wanting to explore this antiquated area for some time. In fact it got me into some minor trouble today.
I apparently wandered into some unapproved area in this fascinating space. I was escorted out by security – but in a gentle manner. I think I have a new mission – capture the images here before they are gone forever. Next time I will ask.
Meanwhile – my take on the furniture show can be found at the philly furniture show page – where else? I bet Michael Doerr and I will meet again. All in all – a delightful day!
