ERIN HANLEY

I began my woodworking career as a furniture maker, and from early days have been interested in wood carving, embellishment and surface ornamentation.
My first furniture pieces incorporated carving patterns influenced by traditional 17th century British designs. Over time, my aesthetic evolved to become more personal, and more modern. Creation of a series of contemporary jewelry boxes several years ago led to my most recent work, these framed and wall-mounted pieces that I call “Wood Drawings.” Here I use solid wood or shop sawn veneers as a canvas of sorts, that I texturize and inscribe with patterns, or with discernable fragments of poems or mathematical symbols to create a kind of palimpsest. With this newest work I can experiment with color, fill grain, inscribe messages, and play with line in a 2-dimensional format, but always with wood as the medium.

I graduated from the Cabinet and Furniture Program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. I sell my work primarily through galleries and private commissions.