Stewart Wurtz operates his studio in the Sunnyland neighborhood of Bellingham. He is inspired by the minimalism of modern form and design and embellishes this simplicity with details that reveal process, structure, or the hand of the maker. He combines wood with other materials, like metal, as the play between them can enhance each material and encourage new discoveries.   

“When I begin a project, my time sketching is indispensable in working through ideas. Often I am inspired by a particular gesture or form in an early sketch that starts the dance of a new piece. The challenge is to keep the freshness of this gesture while continuing to develop the idea.  I find myself going back and forth between the drawing and 3D mock up until I really understand the essence of this new object. The details and the structure develop out of this exploration and begin to crystallize as I start work on the final piece.

All I can hope for in making my furniture is to pay homage in some small way to the wonder and beauty of our natural environment. I strive for an economy of form in my work and like to use simple lines with spare detail to achieve this balance.  My work is meant to be utilitarian, and I’d be honored to think that it will be enjoyed both today and well into the future”

Education

1980-84 Boston University Program in Artisanry, BFA | Boston, MA

1984 Furniture Design and Woodworking

1981-82 Boston Architectural Center| Boston, MA

Professional Experience

1984 to present Stewart Wurtz Furniture, Studio Furniture Maker | Seattle, WA
2002 to present Guest Lecturer, Furniture Studio, School of Architecture University of Washington | Seattle, WA

2006 Guest Lecturer, Bellevue Arts Museum | Bellevue, WA

2004 Co-Instructor, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship | Rockport, ME

1984 Beginning Woodworking Instructor Program in Artisanry, Boston University | Boston, MA

1981-84 Assistant to Jere Osgood, Studio Furniture Maker

1977-79 Cabinetmaker. Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers | New Gloucester, ME

One/Two Person Exhibitions

2006 Spotlight | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

1995 New Work by Jere Osgood and Stewart Wurtz | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY

1992 New Work by Stewart Wurtz | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

Selected Exhibitions

2011 Second Life of Trees | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2010 30th Anniversary Members Showcase | NWFW | Seattle, WA

2010 Against the Grain | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA2009Maker’s Mark | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2008 Legacy of Talent | Center for Furniture Craftsmanship | Rockport, ME

2008 Meet your Maker | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2008 Live Edge | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2008 Chair: The fine art of seating | NW Fine WW | Seattle, WA

2007 Pattern | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2007 Cascadia: Studio Furniture from the Pacific NW | Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery. University of Victoria | Victoria, B.C.

2006 25+1 | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2005 25th Anniversary Exhibit | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

2003 Craft Transformed | Boston University’s Program In Artsianry 1975-1985. Fuller Museum of Art | Brockton, MA

1998 Dining Elegance | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

1997 Modern Chairs | NW Fine Woodworking | Seattle, WA

1993 Chairs: Embodied Objects | Western Gallery, Western Washington Univ. | Bellingham, WA

1993 Spring Show | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY

1992 Night Tacoma Danced | Tacoma Art Museum | Tacoma, WA

1991 New Work | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY

1991 Table, Lamp, & Chair 1991 | sponsored by Oregon A.I.A., Oregon School of Arts & Crafts | Portland OR

1989 The Fine Art of Woodworking | Highlight Gallery | Mendocino, CA

1989 Early Spring Show | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY
1988 Western States Invitational | Highlight Gallery | Mendocino, CA

1986 Art at Home | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY

1984 Boston Connections | Snyderman Gallery | Philadelphia, PA

1984 Desks & Chairs | Pritam & Eames Gallery | East Hampton, NY

Selected Articles/Publications

2012 UW Press. “Furniture Studio, Materials, Craft, and Architecture”. April 2012 by Jeffery Karl Ochsner

2011 Luxe, Interiors + Design. Vol. 9 No. 1 Winter 2011 “Northwest Zen” by Nancy Ruhling

2010 Lark Books. Asheville, N.C. “500 Cabinets” by Ray Hemachandra and John Grew Sheridan

2008 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Dec. 7, 2008 “Out of the Wood, Work” by Rebecca Teagarden

2008 Lark Books. Asheville, N.C. “500 Chairs” by Ray Hemachandra and Craig Nutt

2007 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Oct.7, 2007 “Seeing the Sound” by Rebecca Teagarden

2007 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Aug. 12, 2007 “Right Place, Right Fix” by Rebecca Teagarden

2006 Lark Books. Asheville, N.C. “The Penland Book of Woodworking”

2005 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Oct. 2, 2005 “Portraits” by Rebecca Teagarden

2002 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Feb. 17, 2002 “Good Bones” by Lawrence Kreisman

2001 Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, Mar/Apr 2001. “Ranch Dressing” by Deirdre Allen Timmons

1999 Furniture Studio: The Heart of the Functional Arts, Sept. 1999. “Furniture Gallery” and “Commissioning” by Margaret Minnick

1997 Home Furniture. Aug./Sep. 1997 "Peeking Over the Designer's Shoulder" by Jonathan Binzen

1996 Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times. Feb. 25, 1996 “Small Alterations” by Fred Albert

1995 Designer's Resources. Winter 1995 "Designing Wood" by Therresa McKenna

1994 Seattle Magazine. December 1994 "Turn the Page" by Fred Albert

1990 Design Book Five. The Tauton Press. Newton, Conn.

1987 Pacific Northwest. May 1987 "The Enchanted Woods" by Janice Queener-Shaw

1984 Craft International. Oct/Nov 1984 "Boston Furniture"

1984 NY Times Magazine. June 17, 1984 "Artistic Furniture" By Helen Harrison