Bio
Peter Harrison has been an independent maker for over 25 years. His unique furniture forms are constructed with unconventional joinery and exposed fasteners. He has spent his career pushing the boundaries of furniture.
A highly skilled machinist, woodworker and designer. His studio, located just outside of Saratoga Springs NY, is fully equipped to work the many materials featured in his pieces.
His work has been featured in numerous publications while journeying from one-of-a-kind furniture, to sculpture, to his present line of handmade limited production furniture.
Peter Harrison was born in 1973 and grew up in New York city. He graduated with a BFA from the woodworking and furniture design program at RIT in 1996. Upon graduating he began producing his art full time.
The style of my furniture grew out of a desire to build without traditional woodworking joinery. This began as a method of making furniture, but quickly became integral to the composition and design of my work. I typically use three materials: Wood, Metal, and Concrete. Each has characteristics that are specifically suited for different elements. The aesthetic nature of the elements long ago became more important than their convenience.
My designs break from traditional furniture forms. It is rare that I build a table with four legs. Decorative components made from stainless steel cables or rods are used as important visual elements. I find these elements give life to my pieces. Pure minimalism errs towards being boring. My work celebrates materials and maintains a pure feeling that is modern without being devoid of details.
It is important to me to create complete pieces. I strive for my furniture to entice the viewer from across the room and captivate them upon closer inspection. Designs must be bold and details crisp. This is a combination of design and craftsmanship. My furniture is openly constructed with exposed fasteners. The heads of stainless steel screws get polished and used as details. They are a view of exposed structure, yet not a complete vision. It is intended as a glimpse of what is inside, a celebration of the beauty of structure rather than a moment of too much information.
Resume
Education
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
Woodworking and Furniture Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree 1992 – 1996
Bates College
Lewiston, ME
Attended from 1991-1992
Fieldston High School
Riverdale, NY
Class of 1991
Professional Experience
Peter Harrison Studio, 1996 – present
Owner, Furniture Studio
Peter’s Valley Craft Center, NJ
2006, 2004, 2002
Instructor, five day class
Penland School, Penland, NC Spring 2000
Instructor, two month class
Penland School, Penland, NC Aug 1997
Instructor, one week class