A Studio Visit with Pat Kim
We are pleased to announce that a new series of turned wood objects by the Brooklyn-based artist Pat Kim are now available in store and online.
This series, titled Formations, started with the pier near Pat’s studio. Some of the wooden pillars from the pier had been ripped out during a renovation, and Pat admired their eroded forms and scale. Knowing they had been treated stopped him from taking them (turning them would have been a health hazard) but after some searching he was able to source large untreated southern yellow pine logs elsewhere.
Buttermilk Channel, across from Pat's studio
A view of the wooden pillars that inspired Pat
Pat cuts each log into manageable pieces with a chainsaw before turning the smaller logs on a lathe. He uses the wood’s inherent properties to his advantage; cutting with and against the grain gives each surface a marbled look, while the natural cracks are reminiscent of the wood from the pier. Each piece is bleached and then stained with one of Pat’s custom finishes, and a glass or ceramic container is added inside.
Pat’s studio is part of a larger 7,000 square foot non-profit space in Red Hook, Brooklyn that he helped start last October. Pat and several collaborators worked together for months transforming the interior of the Civil War era warehouse by building walls, renovating the floors, and bringing in tools and equipment. Now he and 14 other designers and artists call the space home and share a wood shop, metal shop, and a view of Buttermilk Channel.
Pat's section of the studio space
A basketball backboard with a mother of pearl inlay
Pat in his studio
