Nicholas Phillips

Statement

After receiving a PhD in physics and a career with NASA, my attention has turned to my artistic side. This part of me is still influenced by my math background. I have spent the last eight years learning the Japanese woodcraft of Yosegi, a meticulous technique for creating intricate geometric patterns with wood. I use it to express my view of the underlying importance of geometry for exploring the aesthetics of that which exists without us. Decorating functional items, I invite people to include a reminder of the world beyond us in their daily lives. As each of my pieces is hand made, each is a unique statement combining abstract geometry with the human process of woodcraft. My art is what happens when a mathematician takes up woodworking.

Artworks

The casework for this cabinet is Ambrosia Maple and Walnut while the drawers are Paulownia. The front of the cabinet is decorated with two different versions of Borromean Rings Yosegi. Yosegi is a Japanese woodcraft technique used to produce blocks of geometric patterns. Shavings from the blocks provide veneer which is used to decorate. This pattern is one of the artist's own designs and is based on the topological knot known as the Borromean Rings. In decorating the front of the cabinet, care was taken to maintain alignment of the veneer across the different drawers so the different scales of the patterns are apparent. This multi-scale aspect of the pattern is unique and not found with traditional Japanese Yosegi patterns.