E-mail Michael

509.926.5662

Michael Neiman

Furniture maker

Furniture making has been my profession for over twenty years. I am primarily self-taught. My experience in wood-working shops and a two year study at Sierra College cabinet and furniture making program has given me my foundation. In style and philosophy the contemporary craftsman, Krenov, Nakashima and Maloof have all inspired my years of furniture making.

Furniture making is an ancient craft. Most styles and techniques have already been done. Technically, I push these concepts a step further, such as glass tambour doors and bent frame and panels. Curves are essential in most pieces that I create, whether they are shaped sculp-turally or from veneered, bent laminations. I manipulate the wood to do what I want it to do.

My studio is a converted horse barn in rural Spokane. Ponderosa Pines, deer, owls, hawks, and pheasant are in abundance. It is a great atmosphere, reminiscent of my upbringing in Montana, and my four children are always close by. Here, I design and build twenty to twenty-five pieces a year including desks, cabinets, tables and chairs. Although most of my work is sold in Pacific Northwest galleries, my commissioned work is in homes and offices throughout the United States. I also collaborate with artists in different media, such as glass and fabric.

As a furniture maker specializing in wood, I am highly concerned about wood conservation. I use commercial sliced shop sawn veneers in conjunction with woods from certified, sustained yield forest programs. These processes will help conserve a precious resource. After twenty plus years of working with wood, my greatest joy would be to train one of my children in my chosen craft. I want to ensure that they will have plenty of wood to work with.