Master woodworker Sam Maloof died May 21 at the age of 93 at his Southern California home. He is an inspiration to anyone who wants to start with easy woodworking. Sam Maloof considered himself a woodworker rather than an artist and worked for the love of woodworking rather than the money.
Sam Maloof was the seventh of nine children of Lebanese immigrants. He was born in the California farming community of Chino in 1916. He did simple wood carvings as a child and took easy woodworking and mechanical drawing classes in high school. He didn’t become a furniture maker until he had to out of necessity to furnish his house after getting married. His simple, elegant furniture was noticed, however, and friends began asking Sam to make furniture for them. Soon after, he started his business as a furniture maker.
Maloof always eschewed the term “artist” in favor of the title “woodworker.” The style of his work reflects that in that adornment is not found. Everything in the design has a useful purpose. For example, his famous rocking chair with the long, elegant runners in the back was made that way simply to keep the chair from tipping over. Others often called Maloof an artist and his work has been shown in museums, but he preferred the term woodworker for its humble feel. He called it an “honest word.”
Maloof loved his craft enough to work full time until his death. Not many people can do that. He never put money before the integrity of his work. He was offered millions for the rights to mass produce his designs but he refused, preferring to create them all himself, with the help of his loyal assistants. They produced about 50 to 100 pieces per year, far less than a factory would. Some of the money that Maloof earned through his work has gone to fund scholarships for fellow woodworkers.
This son of Lebanese immigrants lived the American dream by becoming a greatly admired woodworker who never sold out his talent or craft. He began with easy woodworking and his work never lost the integrity of that simplicity.
 |
The Furniture of Sam Maloof List Price: Sale Price: $28.09  |
DescriptionAn exploration of the life and work of America’s most distinguished craftsman.Sam Maloof (1916–) is a consummate furniture designer and maker, recognized worldwide as a craftsperson’s craftsman... |
 |
The House that Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945-1985 List Price: Sale Price: $25.23 |
DescriptionThe mid-twentieth-century woodworker Sam Maloof--one of the leading figures in the postwar studio furniture movement in America--was a voracious collector with an abiding generosity toward other artists... |
 |
Esherick, Maloof, and Nakashima: Homes of the Master Wood Artisans List Price: Sale Price: $32.16 |
DescriptionA rich collection of imagery explores the actual homes of three of the most esteemed wood artist/craftsmen of the modern era: Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof, and George Nakashima. Tour the private homes of these masters and compare their innovations and vision through the medium of their own homes, gardens, and work areas... |
 |
Sam Maloof, Woodworker List Price: Sale Price: $49.49 |
DescriptionWhat if Picasso had been a chair maker and Stravinsky a designer of tables? What would have been the impact of such intense creative talent on twentieth-century furniture? Today there is a man with this quality of profound artistic vision and talent who has devoted his life to making furniture... |
 |
Pioneer wood-lathe artist, and master creator of bowls from fine and rare woods / 1998 List Price: Sale Price: $16.13 |
DescriptionThis is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process... |
 |
Sam Maloof: Woodworking Profile. DVD edition List Price: Sale Price: $12.02 |
 |
Rockler Sam Maloof Poly/Oil Finish Pint Sale Price: $18.19 |
DescriptionSam Maloof, one of America's most accomplished woodworkers, has used these same finishes on pieces placed in museums and the White House. Sold in pint and quart size cans. "One of the most important aspects of finishes, I believe, is that they invite me to touch, to caress, and to take pleasure in the wood surface... |
 |
Möbel aus Holz. |
 |
Profile: Sam Maloof DVD List Price: Sale Price: $15.99 |
DescriptionSam Maloof is one of the fathers of contemporary woodworking. Now in this DVD profile of a master craftsman, you can see Maloof at work and home, and see how his furniture embodies his ideas on craft, design, and technique... |
Incoming search terms:
Related posts: