FEB. 3, 2017
B9
T he C oast News
Furniture exhibit celebrates craftsmanship By Jamie Higgins
ESCONDIDO — It may have been luck that Bob Stevenson inherited his great-great grandfather’s woodworking tools, but it was hard work and Palomar College’s Cabinet & Furniture Technology (CFT) Program that turned Stevenson into a master woodworker. Wood artisans, like Stevenson not only make pieces that are aesthetically pleasing, their handcrafted furniture has to function and withstand things like gravity and time. Stevenson’s award-winning period furniture is part of an exhibit featuring close to 30 fine woodworkers from throughout Southern California. In its eighth year, WOOD, A Furniture Show VIII, hosted by Brian Murphy of Murphy’s Fine Woodworking, in association with the San Diego Fine Woodworking Association is on display through Feb. 4 at the Escondido Municipal Gallery. The exhibit features a variety of handcrafted furniture including contemporary, traditional, art furniture, as well as veneering and marquetry. “People love to see what you can do with wood,” said Stevenson. More than just a visual experience, the show is also a tactile one. Unless the piece says not to touch, feel the wood and how the joints are crafted. The variety of styles and technical expertise make it worth a visit, according to Gallery Manager Beatriz Esparragoza. “Each piece is very unique,” said Esparragoza. “Each woodworker put a lot of thought and effort into the design and craftsmanship.” This is the first year that the show included furniture by students attending Stevenson’s alma mater. The show features work by eight students in Palomar College’s CFT Program, including Justin Yasgoor who’s work titled, “Bridging the Gap” took First Place in Design. Started in 1956, the Palomar College Cabinet and Furniture Technology program offers one of the most comprehensive woodworking curriculums in the nation, with courses ranging from Furniture Design to Timber Framing, and from Guitar building to Production Cabinetmaking. After retiring from
Superintendent David Jaffe, left, with Bradley Johnson, the new director of finance at the RSF School District. Johnson began his new position on Jan. 23. Photo by Christina Macone-Greene
Johnson appointed as new director of finance By Christina Macone-Greene
A reproduction 18th century tambour desk takes the best of show award at the WOOD: A Furniture Show VIII,” from woodworker Bob Stevenson. The show runs through Feb. 4. Courtesy photo
the military, Stevenson enrolled in the CFT Program at Palomar College. “I’ve always had a desire to build things,” he said. He considers Palomar College’s program to be among the best woodworking programs. “They bring you up through the basics,” he said. As if being in the furniture business for 40 years wasn’t enough, Stevenson led the “Design in Wood” Show at the Del Mar Fair
for 20 years. An annual juried exhibition, the “Design in Wood” Show is put on by the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association at the San Diego County Fair. Staffed by volunteers, artisans demonstrate old and new techniques of woodworking. The woodworking community in the San Diego region is thriving, according to Stevenson. “We have one of the largest woodworking guilds in the country.”
RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe School District board unanimously approved Bradley Johnson as its new director of finance. Superintendent David Jaffe shared with the board of trustees the process of finding a candidate. It began with paper screenings followed by an interview of eight candidates, which took place with a panel of four people, including Jaffe. From there, the candidate selection dwindled down to four. Jaffe told the board he then completed reference checks on the finalists. Jaffe went on to say how he recently communicated with Johnson in ref-
erence to proposed contract requirements he received about the teacher’s parking lot, also referred to as the Dacus property. “And he (Johnson) had answers like that,” said Jaffe, snapping his fingers. “The reason I believe he has the answers like that is because his degrees are in finance and accounting. He also worked for Gafcon as the Deputy Program Manager for the $600 million capital improvements program at the Grossmont school district.” Jaffe went on to say how Johnson brings along a ton of skills in addition to his educational background. Johnson’s employment as director of finance went into effect Jan. 23.
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