Robert Ortiz Studios
Contemporary Furniture In The
Shaker & Japanese Traditions

207C S. Cross Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone:  (410) 810-1400
e-mail:

The Shop

In a sense the “shop” is a 2,000 square foot multi-purpose room without walls. Located in a restored feed mill built for processing agricultural harvests, in historic downtown Chestertown, the shop serves as showroom, design studio, office, millwork and woodworking shop, gallery space and for some visitors, and local residents, a tourist destination.

The process that I employ for making furniture is straightforward. I design and make the furniture selecting wood for each individual project. Most of the wood is purchased from two loggers in Pennsylvania that I have worked with for over 10 years. They are, I believe, the best in their business at what they do. Over the years they have gotten to know my work and more importantly, how I work. They listen to my needs and offer suggestions and help me select wood appropriate for my projects. Most importantly, I have confidence in their methods of logging and drying which ensures stable, beautiful and consistently beautifully grained wood for making furniture.

Once the wood is selected, I mill the parts, cut the joinery, fit the pieces together and make sure that everything (proportions, grain placement, etc.) looks and works like it’s supposed to. The work then passes on to Connie Robinson who makes it all “righteous”. Connie’s attention to detail is beyond exceptional. Sometimes she’ll even send a part back to me if it doesn’t meet up to her standards. When she is finished working on a piece,

it is ready to be finished.

Brenda Foehrkolb then adds her specialty, oil finishes or linseed oil varnish to the raw wood. Brenda is a painter in her own right and her steady hand and eye for detail put the final touch on every piece that we produce. Connie and Brenda and I are equal collaborators in making the furniture. The skills that they bring to each project give a clarity and depth to the wood that is rare even by hand crafted furniture standards. Some of the pieces, glass top tables, the Adkins Arboretum Bench, and the Sofia Chairs require additional collaboration from fellow artisans who are carvers and upholsterers.


   


Robert Ortiz Studios | 207C S. Cross Street | Chestertown, MD 21620 | Ph: (410) 810-1400 | ortiz@ortizstudios.com
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