Judith Ames

My interest in art and design began at a young age. The New England homes of my parents and grandparents contained examples of early American and European furniture. As a young person, I spent long hours engrossed in drawing and building imaginary worlds. In school and on my own time I sculpted and studied the works of Rodin, Matisse, the Fauvists, natural objects, and favorite architectural works. Although, while at Harvard and Colorado College (BA 1975), my academic classes were in philosophy, economics, and political science, furniture makers Sam Maloof and Art Carpenter and other excellent teachers inspired me to further studies in joinery, drafting, design.

Instead of pursuing a degree in architecture right out of college, I chose a few years of practical experience. I found the work in a cabinet shop to be interesting in its own right and commenced a journey of learning the running of a business and the intricacies of wood construction. After a number of years my love of drawing led me from cabinetry to carvings and inlays in entry doors and cases. Those early images of animal and bird arcing around one another show the same fascination with the interplay of curved lines that has guided me in the subsequent years of furniture designs.

I grew up surrounded by treasured objects: be they letter opener or vase, they had story and meaning. They had been handed down by a relative, made by a special person, or purchased in a special place. In our work today, the challenges are ongoing. As we seek precision and efficiency in the processes of construction, grace and comfort in the look and function of a piece, we hope these new works will in turn be treasured.