An Interview with Michael Doerr

Michael Doerr
Profile

Michael Doerr is a solo studio artisan designing and building handmade wooden furniture. Using mostly Northern hardwoods, he produces a variety of unique designs. All of his pieces may fulfill residential or commercial needs.

There are a number of special characteristics that are trademarks of his work. One is the importance of selecting individual pieces of wood to enhance the overall design. Another integral feature is the flow of an unbroken line that continues throughout the majority of his designs, creating a cohesive and unified quality to the overall outline.

This one-dimensional aspect, as seen in the profile, may be perceived almost as one looks at a pencil sketch. The line is very crisp and distinct.

This approach to design is difficult to employ when working in a media like wood. Upon completion, the pieces are signed and numbered with the year of creation and then hand-rubbed with an oil finish, applied over the entire surface.

Since the founding of Doerr Woodworking in 1989, he has developed a national and international clientele. During the 1999 Philadelphia Furniture Show, furniture historian Oscar Fitzgerald saw Michael Doerr's work and included it in the Parson School of Design/Smithsonian Institute lecture series, on Contemporary American Crafts.

In January of 2001, Woodshop News Magazine featured his furniture in their cover story, "Following the show circuit, Wisconsin furniture sculptor takes a national sales approach", discussing the pursuit of a broader customer base by exhibiting at national shows. The winter of 2000-2001 also saw the publication of a feature article in Door County Magazine entitled, "Making Furniture One Piece at a Time".

Michael Doerr teaches chair design theory and provides live instructional workshops at various locations around the US. In 2001 he became a faculty member at Peninsula Art School in Door County Wisconsin.

Working on a theory of design integrity and craftsmanship, I have been inspired by my mentors like master shipwright Ferdinand "Red" Nimphius who once told me, "It is not what you accomplish in a day, it is what you have learned."

Sculptor makes all of the wood look good
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Last Updated: Feb. 28, 2001

Phone number: 920.743.5631
E-mail: Michael@MichaelDoerr.com