Additional Articles for October 2003 Issue
Camden craftsman combines Caribbean flair, tradition
Story and photos by David Munson
Camden-based furniture maker blends traditional craftsmanship with island flair, breathing new life into an all-but-forgotten style of fine furniture.
Much of Austin Kane Matheson’s work requires the type of delicate touch that only hand tools can provide.
As
he carefully works a length of hardwood in his Camden workshop—his
truck parked beneath a stand of maple and Northern red oak,
furniture maker Austin
Kane Matheson seems a world away from the palm trees and tropical breezes
of the Caribbean. But, with every stroke of the plane, Matheson
is bringing the
warm sands of the tropics a little closer to Maine.
Ever since he was a boy, Matheson has harbored a love of the sea and
an interest in the ecology and culture of tropical islands. His passion
for
woodworking
began when he was a child, as well. While growing up in Miami, he spent
a good deal
of his boyhood hanging around his uncle’s furniture-making shop and building
small projects on his own. While still a student at the prestigious North Benett
Street School in Boston’s North End, Matheson discovered a style
of furniture that appealed to both his love of the islands and his
passion for
woodworking:
the intricate lines and whimsical detail of Caribbean furniture.
“
No one really knows about it,” Matheson said, describing the rare island
style that he has made his trademark. “I never really liked the stuffy
New England or European period furniture that’s out there, so
I went looking for some kind of furniture from the islands.”
Matheson cuts a piece of hardwood during the artisan’s tour.
Matheson’s search proved to be a difficult one. Very little
literature was available describing the furniture of the islands,
and examples
of Caribbean furniture are exceedingly rare. Spurred on by the
intricate beauty of a bed
post from the Bahamas that his father had given him, Matheson
kept digging,
discovering
a style of furniture that blended the finesse of traditional
European forms with the fun, informal style of the islands.
“
I started to find some examples here and there of some really interesting stuff—totally
unique, with details you wouldn’t find on anything else,” Matheson
said with excitement. “A lot of the period stuff we were working on felt
like something you would find in your grandmother’s house—something
you wouldn’t be allowed to touch. This stuff was different—this
was very cool, totally unique furniture.”
Steeped in European tradition, Caribbean furniture evolved
from the complex blend of local flavor and colonial European
influences
that
resulted
from the sugar
trade. Created for use by wealthy plantation owners and visiting
dignitaries, the already rare furniture was largely gathered
up and taken back to
Europe as the plantations closed and the economic influences
in the region began
to change.
Now scattered in isolated villas and buried in European estate
collections, the original examples of the Caribbean style are
exceedingly rare—a
quality that appeals to Matheson as an artist and an entrepreneur.
By homing in on a style that is off the beaten path, Matheson
is not only able to maintain a stronger connection with his
work by challenging his skills as
a craftsman, he is able to distance himself from competition,
carving a niche for himself in a highly competitive market.
“
Everyone is doing period furniture. I wanted to find something that was unique—something
that I was really interested in,” Matheson said as he pointed out the features
of a reproduction he created of a mahogany sideboard currently on display at
the Curacao Museum in the Dutch Caribbean. “This has every major discipline
in woodworking—carving, turning, scrollwork, inlay, cabinetry—it
was perfect to test my skills.”
Matheson enjoys the challenge presented by every new piece
he creates, and believes that maintaining a good work ethic
and developing new skills are important
parts
of doing business as an artist.
“
I had been creating things out of wood for years before I went to the North Benett
Street School, but I was always frustrated because I never had the skills to
do it right,” Matheson said. “At school I was able
to get those skills in an intensive way, and now I am focusing
on the challenge
of running
a business.”
While he admits that developing a business around his talents
as a craftsman has been a challenge, he has found a welcoming
community
in the Midcoast,
and is growing as a businessman with every new project. After
meeting at a number
of furniture shows around the region, Matheson struck up a
deal with another talented local furniture maker, Lowrie Sargent
of
Rocky Coast
Joinery in
Camden. Sargent allows Matheson to work out of a section of
his workshop on Hope Road
in Camden, jump-starting Matheson’s new business by allowing
him access to a full range of woodworking tools that would have
taken Matheson
years
to acquire on his own.
While helping Matheson get a start in the business, Sargent
reaps the benefits of having another skilled woodworker in
his shop.
“
It’s always good to have someone who is trained in woodworking to take
another look at your work,” said Sargent. “Anyone who works alone
has a tendency to become a bit myopic, and having someone with a different background
take a look at your work—who has a different way to approach problem solving
and design—is a real benefit.”
In addition to the opportunities afforded him through his connection
with Sargent, Matheson has taken advantage of other unique
opportunities available
to area
artists, as well. His participation in the Maine Boats and
Harbors show in Rockland was particularly rewarding, giving
his work
greater exposure
and
offering a new
way to connect with other area woodworkers. He also found a
way to connect with potential customers by participating in
the Country
Roads
Artists
and Artisans
Tour, a guided tour of over 20 area artists’ workshops and
studios.
With a bachelor’s
degree in marine ecology, Matheson has found interesting ways of connecting
his work to nature. In addition to creating furniture that often
exhibits a nature theme, such as his flamingo sideboard, he sees
a strong connection between
the Caribbean furniture style and the scientific theory of island biogeography.
The theory, Matheson explains, points out a direct relationship between the unique
flora and fauna found in island habitats and the geographic isolation islands
impose. Matheson sees the same forces at work in island furniture, as the Caribbean
style slowly evolved its own unique differences from its European heritage due
to the geographic isolation and unique environment of the islands.
Matheson has worked hard to maintain a high profile outside the local
area, as well. He has built a working relationship with a New York
City gallery owner
who is quite possibly the only dealer in Caribbean antique furniture
in the world,
hoping to position himself as an experienced creator of Caribbean reproductions
as the original pieces become harder to come by. Matheson has even
worked with researchers and historians in an effort to describe and
catalog the rare and
historically important furniture style.
Overall, Matheson strives to maintain a focus on his original goal:
to build bold, unique furniture for people who want to have a say in
the design, and
to develop his skills as a woodworker along the way. By keeping a high
profile in
his niche market and becoming an expert in his chosen style, he hopes
to make his business as financially successful as it is personally
and artistically
rewarding.
FMI: Email <austin@finehandmadefurniture.com>, or call (207) 236-4100.