Kessler Craftsman

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The Kessler Craftsman Portfolio

While a majority of my work is commissioned for a particular patron, designer or architect, speculation pieces are occasionally created for sale on this website, for shows or for sale through galleries. See Catalogue for more details. See Contact Us for a list of galleries and shows displaying the work of the Kessler Craftsman.

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Windomere Japanese Lamp

This beautiful Windomere Japanese lamp features Kokomo tan and red streaky art glass and an ebonized hardwood base and cap. UL-listed light fixture with a low-energy flourescent bulb and black cord w/inline switch. A melding of the Japanese style with Praire influences.

(9 x 9 x 11 5.00)

Quarter-sawn White Oak Coffee Table

This 28'x38' coffee table features solid quarter sawn White Oak and very thin Mission-style spindles. All joinery is mortise and tenon. The top floats on the base with "Z-clips" that allow for seasonal wood movement. The finish is a simple one-step stain topped with semi-gloss hand-rubbed polyurethane. This piece can be commissioned in different kinds of wood, different dimensions, with a beveled glass top and with wider Stickley-style spindles if desired.

(28x38x18")

Quarter-sawn White Oak Sofa Table

This parlor table is constructed using classic mortise and tenon joinery and, like much of my work, features ultra-thin Mission-style spindles. The finish is a simple one-step stain topped with a hand-rubbed polyurethane finish. Perfect for behind a sofa, in a hallway or parlor, or in a dining room, office or study.

Quarter-sawn Chest of Drawers

This is a very large 9-drawer chest that features a center cabinet with an adjustable center shelf. All quarter-sawn solid White Oak with Black Walnut "butterflies" on each cabinet door and small square decorative pegs of Macassar Ebony in each leg.

The astute viewer will notice significant "ray fleck" figure on all four sides of each corner post; an impossibility in nature. These 2.5"x2.5" corner posts are actually constructed with four mitered and splined, highly figured 1.25" White Oak boards!

All of the dovetailed drawers are lined with Aromatic Cedar and feature solid-maple construction with solid NK-style drawer slides; no metal is used anywhere!

The back of this stunning piece is also White Oak and completely finished.

This piece features a 5-step finishing process that starts with a water-based wood dye, followed by garnet shellac, followed by a dark brown stain and pore-filler, followed by numerous coats of super-blonde shellac. The final step involved application of several hand-rubbed coats of clear polyurethane varnish and carnauba wax.

When finished, it took three men to move. and that was after removing the nine drawers and center shelf. All hardware is hammered bronze. At last conversation, the owners still had not filled it completely!

Wood Tansu Chest

This Tansu chest features solid quarter-sawn White Oak with Black Walnut inlay. This piece features arched stretchers, arts-and-crafts style corbels supporting the top, frame-and-panel construction and exposed pyramid plugs hiding the joinery.

The three drawers are designed with solid wood inserts for the artist's hand tools and instruments. The lower section features a drop-front three-piece frame-and-panel cabinet door with rare earth magnet catches. The hardware is bronze/copper with variegated patina. This fine piece serves as Mr. Pile's resumé.

p.s.-Tansu (箪笥=first character means "bamboo rice basket", and the second means "box", more specifically "lunch box" or "clothes chest") is Japanese for chest of drawers - steVe

Quarter-sawn White Oak Jewel Chest

This piece was inspired by a visit to the Mission city of San Antonio, Texas and features solid quarter sawn White Oak with Black Walnut accents.

This piece features frame-and-panel construction with mortise and tenon joinery. The frame-and-panel top feature mitered rails and stiles with Walnut splines for strength and durability. The piece is lined with green felt and features two removable solid quarter sawn White Oak inserts to hold jewelry and other small items.

Sewing Table Top in Quartersawn White Oak

The owner, Mary Kubecka, commissioned this table top for a sewing table that had been her grandmother's.

She has commented over and over, how smooth and silky the finish is on the top. She can't pass it without reaching out and touching it!

Mission/Prairie Sofa Table

This is one of four beautiful quartersawn White Oak tables just completed and shipped to Elizabeth and Ed Hoy for their new dream home. This table features 3/4" spindles, butterfly inlay and Macassar Ebony pegs and a finish of Garnet Shellac, Nitrocellulose lacquer and, on the tops, hand-rubbed polyurethane for durability. See the other tables in the series!

(18 X 54 X 30 200.00)

Mission/Prairie Coffee Table

This is one of four matching tables recently finished and shipped to Elizabeth and Ed Hoy. This table is a whopping 42" X 42"..for a beautiful, but massive, living area. At sixteen 3/4" spindles per side, this is the largest coffee table I've ever made!

(42" X 42" X 24 300.00)

Mission/Prairie Side Tables

This is one of a matching pair of 21" X 21" side tables..and part of a set of four matching tables...see the Mission/Prairie Sofa Table and Mission/Prairie Coffee Table. All shipped to Elizabeth and Ed Hoy in mid-November.

(21" X 21" X 70.00)

G&G Inspired Table

This beautiful Honduran Mahogany table was built to this Wall Street customer's specifications. Featuring organic details such as the "cloud lift" stretchers, rounded ebony plugs and top spline, a beveled through-tenon shelf and an inset glass top, this Greene & Green inspired piece is truly outstanding.

Windowmere #1

This is the first Mission-style lamp in a series of four different designs available in several colors and lamp base styles. "The Windomere" is named after one of the streets in the Kessler historic neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The Windomere features Prairie-inspired red and tan color scheme using swirly opaque glass and the Tiffany-style copper foil technique. The featured base includes a matching stained glass panel and a square base made from Red Oak.

"Monet Tulips"

This floral-inspired candleholder features green ring mottle and water-blue glass with black patina on a ebonized hardwood base. Signed by the artist, this is available only in very limited quantities. Contact the artist to inquire about availability.

(4x4x4 2.00)

Winter Into Spring

Description coming soon.

(9 x 13 4.00)

Wood Square Mission Frame

The artist designed this frame to fit into an Arts and Crafts home. This frame is made of solid quarter-sawn White Oak with mortise and tenon joinery. The exposed through tenons are glued and pinned and the holes filled with exposed White Oak pyramid plugs. At the center of the bottom rail, the artist inserted three matching decorative pyramid plugs. The finish is a four-step dye, stain and shellac finish and feels as good as it looks!

White Oak Round Top Mission Frame

This frame is constructed identically to the "White Oak Square Mission Frame" above, but differs slightly with the classic Arts and Crafts-style rounded top rail. The author's favorite frame!

White Oak Dual Square Mission Frame

Constructed with the same high-quality materials and craftsmanship as the White Oak Square and Rounded Mission frames, this design features a dual bottom rail. The next iteration of this will allow insertion of stained glass panels that match the framed artwork. Think of this as "artwork for your artwork".

Small Mission Frame

This is a small 8X10 (print size) Mission frame crafted for the Windjammer Gallery on Whidbey Island, in the Pacific Northwest.

This frame is constructed of quartersawn White Oak and features mortise and tenon joinery, through-tenons, pyramid plugs and a finish consisting of dye, then garnet shellac and finally Nitrocellulose lacquer.

The print is not the final product!

Arched Fleur

This 11.5 foot-wide set of three panels was done for a 1926 Tudor home in Kessler Park, Dallas, TX. Done in the Edwardian Style to mirror the Tudor architecture, this piece features English Muffle leaded glass in a variety of muted traditional jewel tones. The panels were installed behind double-pane insulated glass and are backlit for nighttime viewing. This installation also matches the attic window entitled "Attic Fleur".

(11.5x2.6 ft)

Attic Fleur

This 2.5 X 3 foot window features English Muffle leaded glass utilizing a stylized Edwardian tulip design with a blue Muffle-glass border. Since this is a non-occupied attic, white Plexiglass was put behind the window and a small light installed so as to backlight the piece at night. The colors match the "Arched Fleur" installation above and mirror the architecture of the 1926 Tudor home in addition to the owner's love for flowers.

(2.5x3.0 ft)

Victorian Calla

This leaded Victorian piece features a stylized Calla Lilly in opaque glass and Victorian-style leaves, vines and borders. An exquisite mixture of opaque, cathedral and clear seedy leaded glass, this piece measures 14"x27" and was mounted in a White Oak frame for placement behind a transom window opening above the owner's front door. This is one of my favorite Victorian works to date.

(14x27 in)

Three Tulips

This 17"x17" piece features the Victorian three-tulip design in bright Spring colors emphasized by streaky opaque glass, clear seedy restoration glass and delicate lead lines. Also incorporated are three iridescent glass "jewels" that echo the pink and green spring colors. Four 2"x2" crystal bevels are inserted into each corner of this stunning piece.

(17x17 in)

Magnolia Transom Window

This window was commissioned by a woman for her mother in law.

She specified the size/dimensions and the use of magnolia flowers and black and white glass.

She approved the final design which uses the specificed black water glass, two shades of white, two shades of green, brown, and clear glue chip glass. 2" square bevels were also included in the project.

This is an excellent example of the degree of collaboration in the commissioning process.

I was pleased, she was very pleased and her mother in law was ecstatic!

Prarie Wheat

This beautiful geometric was inspired by the work of Prairie-style architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Mr. Wright believed that the windows in a home or office should allow the outdoors into the home. As a result, his designs feature the use of predominantly clear glass combined with bright basic colors and nature-inspired geometric shapes. This piece, entitled "Prairie Wheat" features a wheat stalk centerpiece in gold cathedral glass surrounded by brilliant colors and shapes.

(17x29 in)

Musclebound

One of my first commissions was a set of three Tudor-style kitchen cabinet doors using lead and clear glass. Ironically this was my first experience using totally clear double-strength glass...and I loved it. Having admired the simple line drawings that emphasize the human form, the two concepts were melded into one of my favorite non-architectural pieces. One of my customers says I should have left his underwear off!

(15.25x22.75 in)

Trout

This 19"x29" piece was done for a New Jersey couple who are avid fisherpersons. The trout is a combination of iridescent and embossed clear glass with fine lead lines. The remainder of the piece features cool-toned "Waterglass" which perfectly fits the subject matter and artistic vision!

(19"x29")

Tudor Cabinet Doors

This set of three leaded clear glass panels was commissioned by contractor Perry Roberts for a Tudor kitchen.

The homeowner is pleased, Perry's pleased, I'm pleased.

Windomere Lamp w/Black Cherry Base

Named after one of the streets in the Kessler Historic district, this Prairie-inspired art-glass shade is made with a solid brass lamp cap, structural reinforcment, hand-cut opaque art glass and soldered Tiffany-Style joinery.

The base, also crafted by the artist, is made from solid American Black Cherry and features full-length dovetail joinery and decorative Mission-style corbels. Finished in stain-oil-poly combination. This is what lights the artist's space.

Cathedral Votives

Kessler Craftsman manufactures these stained glass candleholders in his shop using the same craftsmanship seen in his mission furniture and stained glass commissions. There are two "levels" of these small, affordable pieces. The basic, illustrated here, have beautifulcopper-foiled opaque or cathedral glass atop a hardwood base. The more complex level, starts with the "basic" candleholder, but features soldered shapes...see the "Harlequin"..beautiful rough-rolled cathedral glass with multi-colored diamonds and the "English Tudor" featuring Wissmach English Muffle glass with muted diamonds. Images and prices for the latter will be added soon!

(4 X 4 1.00)

Dutch Door

This is one of two recently-completed commissions; 9 panels for a dutch door in English Muffle victorian glass. The owner did the initial design and picked out the colors. We picked one of the coldest days of the year to remove the top half of the door and install these windows! The end result is pleasing to all and retains the authenticity of this old Tudor home. This commission inspired an exciting new candleholder design that will appear on the website..the "Tudor" candleholder. Naturally, the owner of these doors got the first one!

Sur Le Mer 2

This is the second Sur Le Mer in this series of 14 Japanese lamps. This particular lamp features smaller ring mottles, ebonized hardwood top/bottom and a UL-listed light fixture w/line switch. A swirl of dark blue, light blue iridescent and white...

Kansas City Church Window

This was a window repair commission brought by Jerry G, from Highland Park, Tx. Jerry and his wife purchased this window, which apparently was taken out of an old church in Kansas City.

While cleaning the piece, it was dropped and the center section shattered and the entire plane bowed.

I carefully replaced the center glass, flattened the plane and cleaned up the entire piece.

Sur Le Mer

Featuring an ebonized hardwood base/top, beautiful one-of-a-kind ring mottle glass and a UL=listed light fixture with cord and line-switch, this lamp is one of 14 Japanese style lamps currently in the works. This one is already sold. Inquire about its' twin.

Tudor Windows

This is a pair of 12" X 48" Edwardian-style windows done in English Muffle glass for a Tudor home in Kessler Park, in Dallas, TX. Some of the glass is 1/8" thick!

Additionally, each of the windows can be removed and replaced in around 10 minutes per side. The goal is to be able to pull these out and replace with seasonal panels...Christmas stained glass, a spring pattern, etc. Exciting, huh?

(12 X 48)

Tudor 3-Panel Firescreen

This beautiful three-panel Tudor-style firescreen is framed in wrought iron and constructed completely from Wissmach English Muffle glass and lead came. Donated to be auctioned off by the Kessler Neighbors United (KNU) it was purchased by John Bivens for his nice Tudor home! My favorite firescreen so far!

El Corazon

Description coming soon.

(1.00)

The Gecko

"The Gecko" is a beutiful green candleholder made out of Ring Mottle glass with an ebonized hardwood base. No two are alike!

(1.00)

Ocean Spray

"Ocean Spray" is a beautiful candleholder made of Bullseye Ring Mottle glass and an ebonized hardwood base made by the artist. Only one for sale currently. Item is sold

(1.00)

The Tudor

The Tudor candleholder is my favorite. Made with Wissmack English Muffle glass and, generally, a White Oak hardwood base, this candleholder features a diamond applied to all four sides, generally in Gold, Sage Green, Steel Blue and either Red or Rose.

The pictured sample shows clear glass; also available in light amber, light blue (with only blue diamonds) and light peach (only occaisionally, diamond colors vary).

(1.00)

El Corazon

This beautiful Japanese lamp is one of 14 I'm making. Constructed with ebonized poplar and heart-pounding ring mottle glass, this lamp also features a UL-listed 110 volt fixture and a black cord with a line switch.

(9 x 9 x 11 5.00)

14 Japanese-Style Lamps

These are two of fourteen Japanese-style lamps under construction. While most will use exotic ring mottle glass, the artist will accept commissions using particular colors/glass, etc. Contact the artist. Six-panel and four-panel designs will be built. See the catalogue section for available lamps.

Fireflies Japanese Lamp

Reminiscent of fireflies in the Spring, this beautiful Japanese-style lamp features less radical ring mottle glass, an ebonized hardwood base/top and a UL-listed light fixture w/line switch. This is the first of 14 Japanese lamps I'll make.

"Crimson" Japanese Lamp

This four-panel Japanese lamp features Kokomo streaky red, orange, yellow and white opalescent glass, a hardwood base/top made by the artist, and a UL-listed light fixture w/line switch. Simple elegance

"The Gecko" Japanese Lamp

This beautiful Dark green Japanese lantern features stunning Green ring mottle glass, ebony base/top and UL-listed light fixture w/line switch.

This is what the artist has on his desk.

Two are available.

(8.5 X 12 5.00)

Diamond Cabinet Doors

This is a pair of five total cabinet doors done for an Oak Cliff customer.

The client had recently renovated the kitchen and had installed a beautiful diamond tile backsplash. I was asked to come and see the kitchen and design the windows. I was halfway home when I remembered seeing the diamonds in the tile, went back and photographed them, and executed the design in glass that she and I selected. She wanted the pewter lead lines to match the pewter cabinet hardware. Stunning!

Okeefe-Inspired Lamp

Description coming soon.

"Georgia"

This is one of several floral candleholders crafted from art glass and solid hardwood. Available with either an Ebony finish (shown) or natural dark Oak stain. Also available in silver solder or with black patina (shown). This candle absolutely glows in a dark space!

(4 X 4 X 4 2.00)

El Corazon - Natural Edge

This is a natural-edge candle holder in Blood-red Bullseye Ring Mottle glass. Titled "El Corazon" (the heart) it beats with life in a dark room, backlit by a flickering candle.

A 7-square foot sheet of ring-mottle glass has ONE natural edge..hence the rarity of this glass. Sure to sell fast!

(4x4x4)

Shoji Candleholder

This Shoji-style candle holder is reminiscent of the rice paper shoji screens in Japan. Crafted from either white or aqua Bullseye ring-mottle glass this candleholder serenely glows in a contemporary or Japanese-style home. Available with an ebonized hardwood base and black patina only. Can be commissioned in other colors if desired. Contact the artist.

(4x4x4)

El Corazon

El Corazon (The Heart) is crafted from dark ring-mottle glass that is truly variable from one square inch to the next.

Each will vary significantly from the next.

Stunningly beautiful, this is occaisionally available with a natural edge as well. Contact the artist to reserve yours now.

(4x4x4)

Water Lily

This floral-inspired candleholder features white and water-blue glass with black patina on a ebonized hardwood base. Signed by the artist, this is available only in very limited quantities. Contact the artist to inquire about availability.

(4x4x4)

Mantlepiece

Description coming soon.

Navajo Saddle Blanket

This commission came about when a customer. who also collects Navajo Saddle Blankets, brought me an image of a blanket hanging in a museum in Taos, New Mexico. The piece took an extraordinarily long time, having to be completely redone due to some engineering miscalculations. Framed in one of my quartersawn White Oak Mission frames, I hope it was worth the wait!

Recordando A Mi Madre, Maria - Remembering My Mother, Mary

This mosaic lamp was created specially for the 21st annual Bath House Cultural Center Day of the Dead exhibit..or Dias De La Muertos exhibit. It was accepted and will be shown in October and November, 2007.

It was created in the memory of, and honoring, my mother, who died almost one year ago.

(9" x 9" 13")