Craft Awards

Nathan Clarke
James H McPherson Award for Woodworking

Nathan Clarke is a Toronto-based furniture maker, designer, and educator. He is a Craft & Design—Furniture graduate from Sheridan College and is presently a managing partner of the Canadian small-batch furniture brand Coolican & Company. As Director of Craft & Production for Coolican & Company, Nathan leads a small, dedicated team producing furniture that is proudly and purposefully made to last. In 2019, Nathan developed Toronto Woodturning—a subsidiary of Coolican & Co—creating custom and batch woodturnings for a diverse clientele. Toronto Woodturning has hit its stride by offering the exceptional quality of the bespoke turner with the production volume and price associated with industrial shops. Amidst the demands of these roles, Nathan still maintains a small personal practice focused on speculative work and fabrication for other designers.

In the past year, Nathan’s personal work has shifted focus from predominantly functionalist to an approach that sees him creating works purely for the joy of form exploration. Throughout this shift, Nathan has maintained his unwavering respect for finely crafted objects. His reverence for the act of making and all its minutiae is what originally drew him into his father’s workshop as a kid. All these years later, it is still what drives him into the studio everyday.

http://nathanclarkestudio.com

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Edwin Chair (for Coolican & Company)
White oak, stain, hard-wax oil; turned legs and spindles, steam-bent backrest
77 cm x 42 cm x 42 cm; In production: 2016-present

Edwin Chair—Detail
White oak, stain, hard-wax oil; turned legs and spindles, steam-bent backrest
77 cm x 42 cm x 42 cm; In production 2016-present

Clawfoot
Catalpa, stain, hard-wax oil; turned and hand carved; 14 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm

Beam
Hard maple, hard-wax oil; leg profile machine cut and the remainder is hand shaped; 41 cm x 46 cm x 106 cm; 2019

Blue Boy
Hard maple, ink, hard-wax oil; turned and hand carved lidded vessel; 17 cm x 11 cm x 11 cm; 2020

Palmerston Stool (for Coolican & Company)
White oak, hard-wax oil; turned legs and spindles, wedged through-tenon joinery
37 cm x 37 cm x 67 cm; In production 2015-present

Bulb
White oak, wax; turned; 16 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm; 2019

Thinking Less Feeling More
Osage orange, wax; turned and hand carved with a particular attention to the tactile experience
12 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm; 2019

Lakeshore Table (for Coolican & Company)
White oak, brass, hard-wax oil; quartersawn top with brasspinned breadboard ends, turned legs
75 cm x 91 cm x 244 cm; In production 2017-present

Lakeshore Table—Detail
White oak, brass, hard-wax oil; quartersawn top with brasspinned breadboard ends, turned legs
75 cm x 91 cm x 244 cm; In production 2017-present

Who We Are

Formerly the Ontario Crafts Council, Craft Ontario is a not-for-profit service organization that works to have craft recognized as a valuable part of life. We promote and celebrate professional craft through providing member opportunities, and advocate for craft practice by educating and empowering diverse audiences.