just seen

I attended DesignTrends Seattle last month where I was fortunate enough to meet Brent Comber and attend his keynote address. This is a guy we should all be envious of - although he clearly works very hard, he seems to love what he’s doing and where he’s doing it. A native of Vancouver BC, Brent is completely immersed in, and a product of, his environment. He is interested in the connection people have with wood and the forests it comes from. His pieces tell stories about the forest. Brent took us through his first works and how those experiences informed his later work. Brent’s Alder works have become one of his most recognizable – I found the story behind those pieces to be one of the most compelling. Brent recounts coming to a point where he really felt the material, wood, was the story of his work. He told of walking through the forest and wanting to tell a story about “the places in between” the trees, the voids. As a native Northwesterner, he knew a little about the cycle of the forest. He explained how Alder trees are one of the first species to appear after deforestation. The trees are relatively short lived, they die off, enrich the soil and support the rebirth of the forest. Brent  uses young stands of alder that have already been cleared to create his alder series – and true to his vision, shows us the space between. I have admired Brent’s work since I first saw it a few years back online and then at ICFF. Understanding what is behind the work makes it infinitely more beautiful.