The Soul Of A Rocking Chair

In the art world, when something looks like another artist's work it's called "derivative". That's a polite, art-speak term for being a copy . . . a rip-off! Ah-hhhh, but what happens when another artist's work is merely a point of departure, a basic design which is then expanded and refined by the second artist? Well, that's what we call a "creative adaptation". Or, in the case of Randall Watkin's rocking chair, Randy says that it was simply "inspired" by the work of the internationally famed Sam Maloof, whose own designs had also been "informed" by the American Shaker tradition.

By what ever term you might want to call it, the superbly crafted rocking chair that Maui artisan Randy Watkins has hand-built is a perfect combination of beauty and functionality. It has the fine, spare, hard lines of a Sam Maloof chair, and yet Watkins has given it his own personal hallmark of an elegant voluptuousness of subtle curves and oil-glowing surfaces.

This is what we call "Museum-quality" workmanship. You need only look at the elaborate joinery that Randy used in his construction of this chair to see that it shows a mastery of advanced woodworking techniques. There's also the difficult-to-achieve lamination found in the rocker-runners and arms, providing both strength and beauty. Mortise-and-tendon joinery, book-matched grain, the handplaned fit of leg to seat, seat to back . . . THIS is what the connoissseur looks for in the finest and most expensive benchmade furniture. And it's all right here in this exceptional rocking chair

Finally, there's the wood itself . . . carefully selected wood that comes from one of the rarest trees in the world, Hawaiian Koa. This is premium select "curly-grained" Koa, wood that is usually found in no more than one out of every five-hundred Koa trees. The grain appears to shimmer and pulse just below the surface, to have an almost 3-D or holographic quality to it. Every time the light strikes a surface, the Hawaiian Koa takes on a new dimensionality.

The wood was carefully dried in Randy's own kiln, leaving just the exact amount of residual moisture needed to compensate for natural expansion and contraction. It is spectacular wood, rare wood, and it was put to the finest use possible by this master artisan.

If Sam Maloof himself walked into our gallery and spotted Randy's Hawaiian Koa wood rocking chair, Mr. Maloof would sink down into the inviting comfort of the sculpted seat, give a deep sigh of pleasure, and then tip his hat to Mr. Watkins for a job well done. Sam would also notice that this rocking chair is about $13,000 less expensive than one of his own!

This is not just a piece of furniture! It is, rather, a work of wood art that will become a treasured family heirlook to be handed down from one generation to the next. Shouldn't this be in YOUR home?

Our Collector's Asset Valuation Portfolio includes a Certificate of Authenticity, Certified Insurance Valuation, Bill of Sale and Biography of the artist whose work you've acquired. This asset appraisal data accompanies every original work of fine art or mastercraft that you acquire from us.

For many of our works of original art, we also provide a "Curatorial Declaration". This report discusses the particular medium used in creating the artwork and other unique properties that might be present in the piece you have acquired. If appropriate, your artwork will be enrolled with the National Fine Art Title Registry and a certificate issued.

This kind of information is usually required both for insurance purposes and for reappraisals dictated by increased market values. You will find that this is an approach to Wealth Management Documentation that has been typically available to only select, high-net-worth individual collectors. We, however, feel that ALL of our clients deserve to be treated with this level of service, thus our Collector's Portfolio.

(Your CPA will love this investment-grade data.)

Patrick Robinson
Managing Director/Curator
Hana Coast Gallery