STUDIO OBJECTS: CHAIRS

All of these chairs have been found in people's trash piles in Boston. Sometimes, you find a treasure on the curb, and then it’s great to have a hatchback. I can’t imagine why, but occasionally these lovely chairs are abandoned, perhaps by a tired landlord or family member oblivious or too overwhelmed to think of an alternative to curbside abandonment.

Because Guy likes a higher, straight backed chair without arms, they don't live in the house. They are a thinking spot for me solo, and the place I often sit with someone else when there are visitors.

At one point I refurbed them both, putting new woven chair tape (or whatever you call it) underneath and sewing covers for new foam. Yes, it was a pain in the butt, but now I get to enjoy them. In the winter, they sit in front of the fire mostly, and in the summer, they spread about to different areas that I find too cold at other times.

Truthfully, they're not that comfortable, but they do look great and they remind me of fun trash finding days. I prop myself up with a lot of smaller pillows at the small of my back and often start the day ruminating in one of them: journaling, writing, working out the days focus or trying to remember what I was up to last time I was in here.

I like that they're low, so that I can sit eye to door with the stove, and that they're soft so that I can relax and assume a receptive, easy position that's more about being than doing.

I used to have this huge foam block in my art studio, just long enough to nap upon, and though it took up a lot of space, it was helpful to have that soft space in the middle of the industry of the studio.

Softness is an important side of making, letting things land, receiving insight, gentling into the next clear movement. My chairs keep that invitation open for me and delineate space for the occasional guest.

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