Wendell Castle, 1932-2018
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Wendell Castle, often called the father of the studio furniture movement, died January 20 of leukemia. He was 85. Much of his work defies description. When he began making stuff, he would glue and dowel pieces of wood to form a block, then begin carving with all sorts of weaponry. His tables and chairs were sinuous, odd-looking, and probably not all that practical. This desk, which I modeled a while back, is an exception. Castle made the piece--it's about 10 feet wide--on a commission from the Gannett Publishing Co. The semicircular shape is an homage to the desks that once graced many newspaper newsrooms, where the copy editors would sit. A reporter would hand in a story to an editor at one end (the rim man, as he was known), and the article would work its way to the editor in the center--the slot man. Desktop publishing and the migration of news away from print have rendered the copy desk as anachronistic as the typewriter and carbon paper.
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His work ranged from amazing carvings to a custom piano and everything in between. I was very lucky to have meet him and tour his studio in 1978. He had a Queen Anne chair with a hat an coat draped on it, all carved out of mahogany that was the most amazing carving I have ever seen. Every time I see a Queen Anne chair I think of his carving. I recommend people check out his work, you will not be disappointed, Wendell Castle was an amazing artist.
Thanks Dave for letting us know.
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