Tracy's work is considered part of the American Studio Furniture Movement of the last 60 years, which includes the work of one of his mentors, James Krenov, with whom he studied in Stockholm. And like Krenov, Tracy uses wood in a "sensitive" manner, allowing the grain, texture, color, and imperfections of the wood to influence how he uses the material. More often than not, however, particulars are dictated by a client's vision and desires-a certain wood for a certain purpose.
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Tracy's work is regularly at the Turtle Gallery (Deer Isle) and Pritam and Eames (East Hampton, New York), and has been shown at the Messler Gallery at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Rockport) and the Portland Museum of Art, among others. One of his lamps is included in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts permanent collection. This fall, he will join 20 other noted furniture makers from the U.S., Canada, Japan, and China invited to create work for an exhibition of Chinese-inspired furniture at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Mass.
How did you become interested in furniture?
When I graduated from high school in 1964, my parents gave me a rather unusual graduation present: a one-way ticket to Australia, and for a year and a half I worked there in a factory, on a sheep farm, and at a ski resort. When I returned, I still didn't know what I wanted to do and took a job in a naval weapons laboratory, developing hydrofoil sailboats. It was in a rural location with not much to do and we had free use of a shop there, and so I just started making things, with no previous carpentry experience or interest.
No interest?
None. It started right then.
So that was it?
Well, that was the beginning of it. I kept building, and then I went to a show, Objects: USA, at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian. I had no idea one could build such things. I went home and made a few objects inspired by the show-one was a jewelry box just glued together that I gave to my sister; I didn't even know what a joint was. Then I read an article about Wendell Castle, who taught a course in woodworking and furniture making at the School for American Crafts in Rochester, New York. Within weeks, I had an interview. I was accepted and spent the next six years there. At 23, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. At 24, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Been doing it ever since. Happily.
What kinds of wood do you work with?
Pretty much all hardwoods-domestics and ones that come from South America, Europe, or Africa, Southeast Asia. One exception is figured redwood. It's my current passion. It has one of the biggest and boldest curls of any wood.
Do you use other materials besides wood in your pieces?
Yes, I use glass tops occasionally and popple stones [beach-washed stones]. Some brass, too.
You do both commission and speculative work. How is each different for you?
In the commission work, I have to listen closely to what the client wants and try my best to satisfy them. It's most satisfying when we're both happy at the end: I've created something I'm proud of that gives them what they want. In the speculative work, I not only have to build a piece, I have to conceive it-I commission the piece from myself. It's important for me that the piece be interesting and exciting, but the more important thing is that it's "livable"-that people enjoy living with it on a day-to-day basis. And the reality aspect is that the piece has to sell. I'm in this to make my living, so I can't be making a number of white elephants.
You've written that you look to combine a lot of elements-the historical, the artistic, the natural-and what you want to come up with are pieces that "invite, amuse, challenge, and surprise." Quite an assignment!
I don't always accomplish them all. That's the goal. We all set goals. If we accomplish them all, our goals aren't high enough.
OK, so let's just take "surprise." What do you mean by that?
The unexpected. This table your recorder is sittingon is a quiet piece. The dark wood is wenge. But what surprises, I think, is this. Feel it-it looks very textured, wavy, but it's flat to the touch, made from this curly "split" redwood. [Tracy pauses, stares at, walks around the small table, taking it in-as if from a new direction.] I don't know that I've ever seen split wood used in furniture before. But, in this case, it works. [He looks up and smiles.] And I challenge you to argue with me. [No argument here. The table is stunning.]
You mentioned that the Gilley and Jordan Pond House were turning points in your career. Any others?
It's a point still turning. But my latest adventure with this curly redwood engages a lot of my dreamtime right now. These split pieces here are for my current project [for the Peabody Essex Museum]. This redwood fascinates me. Can you see the curl? There's a certain dichotomy in there. It's kind of like magic. Your eyes keep saying, "This isn't flat," while your brain says, "Of course it is." I feel I'm just at the early stages of trying to use this to its maximum.
It must be exciting to be at the early stages of something.
Very. Very. I lose sleep over this, and it feels great!
