Schlebecker Studios

Art and design furniture by J.Peter Schlebecker  

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"View from the Ancestral Hearth" was conceived from a chemical color process that I discovered by accident during a teaching demonstration. The process includes tanning solution, and that lead to the idea of skins drying in frames, which lent itself to a folding screen. Made of ash and copper, the effect is intended to resemble the glow of a campfire on surrounding trees in a forest. How many humans have gazed at this image since the dawn of the use of fire?

Balancing Act is a piece that demands to be interacted with physically. It is made of western red cedar and lead, and is articulated at four joints with bearings. The effect when it is pushed is an alarming sense that it will fall over, but it rights itself immediately and begins a sensuous, sinuous motion.

"Dancing in Negative Space" was conceived from the movement of dancers around a campfire. The two chairs, when pulled together, form a continuous circle of dancers. The forms of the dancers are abstracted into both the positive and negative space, creating a flow of motion.

Detail from "View From the Ancestral Hearth"

"Lampbreath" is a 2-1/2" thick lamp that expands into a three dimensional glowing surface when it is turned on. A blower inflates a bladder that forces the vanes open. I am currently working on a mechanism that will allow the lamp to stay open without the blower running.

"Vessel Bench" is a bench that can hold objects in the channel that runs down the middle. Abstracted from the image of a tidal river near my home, I wanted to create a sense of flow, and to allow the user the opportunity to personalize the piece by filling it with something of their own.