Richard Haining
[2005, Furniture]
Based in New York, NY
*People’s Choice Award winner [RISD Craft 2015]
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD introduced me to the work of some amazing artists. George Nakashima’s understanding of material’s inherent soul, the stack laminating and subsequent hand carving seen in Wendell Castle’s work, and Andrew Goldsworthy’s premise of taking materials as you find them to create new work are all a constant source of inspiration.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
RISD instilled in me the importance of problem solving in all aspects of the creative process (regardless of major, medium, or situation). But, patience is required to successfully problem solve. Patience does not always come easy to me, but my chosen work is a very methodical and meditative process that is a constant reminder me of the importance of patience.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Waste was the initial source of my inspiration. My current body of work, STACKED, uses salvaged wood. When I first started making STACKED pieces, it was due to lack of financial resources. But very quickly I became engrossed in the challenge of using very small parts to create a larger whole. There is such an over-abundance of scrap wood being thrown out in local woodshops and from the plethora of pre-war building materials being trashed from NYC’s architectural landscape. This material other people deemed “waste” was in my eye perfectly good, and became the building blocks for my work. Using salvaged wood just requires a bit more time and patience to create the finished piece. I love that my process allows me to create something that cannot be found in nature. There is no burl or spalting that will ever match the mosaic quality my finished pieces take on. Unlike segmented work, I have no preplanned math. Since I build piece-by-piece, layer by layer, the result is an insanely beautiful random patterning. My choice of sculpting the exterior of each piece by hand (there is no lathe work on any of my work) results in a finished surface with subtle undulations similar to that of hand built pottery.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I was recently commissioned by ASID’s NY Metro Chapter to design and create 10 awards for their 2018 Honors Gala which took place at the Conde Nast office’s in One World Trade Center.
I also received an award from the James Renwick Alliance for Innovation in Craft at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore back in February of this year.
To see more of Richard Haining’s work, visit richardhaining.com
