What inspires creativity?
Sometimes it’s a reaction to something as simple as a sunset; or a response to a world event; or a person speaking a kind word at a moment in time when your mind is open to really “hearing.” Legendary jazz drummer Art Blakey would many times end a club set with his take on the creative process, saying “from the Creator to the musician to you; split-second timing” to explain his take on the genius of Jazz.
Artistic inspiration has always fascinated me, so after seeing her work, I was very curious to find out what inspired Buffalo furniture designer Jane Stevenson. Jane has been creating extraordinary custom furniture for the past 6 years, although her creative journey begins much earlier.
As a child, Jane lived what now would be described as a “Bohemian” life style during a time when traditional American values were being challenged. Her mother was a well-traveled artist married to Jane’s physicist father. One day, while the family was living in California, her father was offered a position in Ethiopia. Viewing this as an exciting adventure, the family packed up and moved to Africa. Jane was 5 at the time, and for the next 2 years, her family used their Ethiopian address as a base while traveling extensively throughout Europe and India.
An impressionable child, Jane found herself surrounded by the art and culture of world travel. Her artist mother and curious father explored the more ‘off–beat” paths rather than the channels of conventional tourism. History and museums were as important as the evolving European Contemporary art world. Even at that early age, Jane was aware of the juxtaposition of the old butting against the new. Heady stuff for a kid.
A sudden health problem, from which her father never really recovered, forced Jane and her family to return to the States. They found themselves living a very different life in Michigan. Her mother, ever the artist, continued to encourage her lovely precocious daughter to live creatively, instigating such escapades as using their hands and finger paints to decorate their home with “stained glass windows.”
With a solid foundation in art and creative expression, Jane set off for college, studying film making at the University at Buffalo. During the 70’s & 80’s, UB was a hotbed of experimental and independent filmmaking. The Media Studies Dept. under the leadership of Gerald O’Grady, was doing cutting edge work, much of which continues today in the form of CEPA Gallery, Squeaky Wheel and Hallwalls.
After completing photography on a feature film, Jane came to the realization during editing, that she was not of a disposition for the lengthy pre-digital post-production process. Having to re-evaluate her “creative expression”, she realized that the part of filmmaking that excited her was the role of the “visuals” as opposed to the “story” or process of filmmaking.
Marriage and motherhood eventually changed much of Jane’s life, though art was never too far away. She continued exploring the world of art and design. Travel was still a priority as were frequent visits to museums and design centers.
Today, now a long time resident of Buffalo, Jane is able to tap this extraordinary body of experience and knowledge as inspiration for the very sophisticated furniture she designs. Her approach to design begins as a puzzle where she takes into account such things as the floor space the furniture will occupy along with the desired function of the piece. Materials also play a large part in making these determinations. She finds that an exquisite “one of a kind” piece of lumber or wood seems to TELL her what to do.
“Buffalo is a treasure trove!” Jane exclaimed. “I’m always finding materials that you would never believe existed here! Besides exquisite hard woods, there’s amazing glass and totally fantastic metals and metal fabricators,” says Jane.
Stevenson Designs is housed at the Design Exchange Studio Building, a short distance from the downtown home she shares with her 11 yr old daughter, Annawade. Jane considers Buffalo a perfect place to live and work. She refers to Buffalo as “an architectural museum” and finds inspiration at every turn. Ironically, she finds that it’s architecture, rather than furniture design, that plays the major role in providing inspiration for her work.
“It’s really mostly about the form, shape and the materials that I’m attracted to. I find myself attending many lectures at the UB School of Architecture for inspiration, information and new resources. Also, the emergence of technology, such as high quality digital photography and the internet, provides me with so much in the areas of materials and research.”
“I’ve found that I really have a desire to put architecture back into rooms through my furniture design.”
And many of her pieces do just that.
Six years ago, she began her first project, a daybed with two accompanying tables. For Jane, this became her master class. The project provided her with the opportunity to design and create a large-scale piece of furniture from beginning to end. Each step became a lesson in learning. In retrospect, she now finds the daybed and tables a tad naïve, yet she still has a fondness for them, appreciating the pieces for what they are and the learning experience the project provided.
Though versatile in scope, her style leans towards a clean contemporary look, evident in her design of a dramatically center lit dining table. With a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright’s classic Taliesin lamp, Jane’s design for an extraordinary wall mounted lamp creates a moody yet sophisticated interior atmosphere. (see slideshow)
Both Jane and her daughter, Annawade, have Stevenson Design “work stations” in their residence at the Elk Terminal Lofts. These areas display a more whimsical side of Jane’s work. Annawade’s features a hand rubbed green stained top, giving the piece a youthful flavor. Although quite large, the workstation is designed to easily be “knocked down” for moving.
After all, one never knows when Africa will again beckon!
Stevenson Designs
567 Exchange St.
716.258.0423/appointments
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