This is a furniture student blog by Vicente Ridaura-Harvey from Tampico in north-east Mexico, five hours from the US border near the Gulf of Mexico.
The photographs show the wonderful ‘throne’, one of the pieces created by Vicente at the Chippendale School of Furniture.
Vicente explains that the arms and curved back of his chair are made of sweet chestnut with striking fused glass strips and rosewood details. The legs and seat are made from olive ash. Vicente designed the glass inserts and his mother, a glass artist who is still based in Mexico, fused the pieces together in her kiln at 700 – 800 degrees centigrade.
Vicente describes his background and how he became a student at the Chippendale School of Furniture. After finishing high school he worked for a construction company in Vancouver in Canada, where he gained some experience of working with wood, restoring and building apartments. He comments that “the people in Vancouver are very polite – when you first meet someone, you are only permitted to talk about hockey and the weather! Making friends in Scotland is much easier!”
After his trip to Canada, he returned to Mexico and worked for his sister, an art director in the advertising industry. Her work involves setting scenes for filming adverts. “It was a great job for learning what was happening behind the camera,” says Vicente.
Vicente’s mother found out about the Chippendale School of Furniture on the internet. He had already decided not to go to university in Mexico, even though attendance there is free. Vicente wanted something more hands-on.
“I love the course. I’ve been learning a lot of stuff. Furniture making isn’t rocket science but it has given me the confidence that I can do it,” concludes Vicente, who describes himself as a “fast learner”.
We’ll shortly be sharing photographs of Vicente’s remarkable round table which also makes creative use of glass. Watch this space!
