Daniel Pohl
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Wisconsin
Maker of furniture with fantasy finishes
Focus pocus: Although Dan Pohl has been making furniture for only 3 1/2 years and is shy about showing his work, the signature painted finishes on his handcrafted furniture have already won him high visibility and a following among collectors.
Groovy grains: Side by side on his eye-jiggling surfaces one finds everything from old faux-finishing techniquessuch as feathering and marbling-combined with modern finger painting and striations from a comb-cut, rubber squeegee.
Pohl uses forms and methods from the Early American era, mixes powdered pigments with corn syrup and vinegar, and applies them with his own quirky twists to hutches, blanket chests, tables and herb stands he makes of “from the log” pine.
High marks: Pohl participated in Chicago’s SOFA ’95 Exposition at Navy Pier, and Harbert, Mich.’s 1995 Outsider Art Show.
Fans: Jean Berghoff, an interior designer with the Evanston firm Berghoff Johnson Ltd., has ordered several custom-made Pohl pieces for clients. “Every piece is a surprise,” says Berghoff.
Roots: Pohl, 41, grew up in Naperville, left the School of the Art Institute of Chicago about six credits short of graduation, determined to devote himself full time to his oil painting, which he describes as “abstract expressionist with dark humor about Bohemian artists.” Odd jobs, such as installing exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art, “carried the bill load.”
Turning point: Pohl began making furniture “by accident.” His sister died of cancer and left him some insurance money. Wanting to do something significant with it, he bought tools he’d always wanted for framing his paintings. The first thing he made was a stereo cabinet for his home. “Everybody seemed to like it and said, `You can probably sell this stuff.’ That planted the seed,” he says.
Back to the future: “Painting was and is my first love. I love all the tactiles involved with woodworking, and refining that skill has given me a good sense of challenge and accomplishment. But it’s moving the color around that’s kept me interested.” He calls his furniture finishes-unique to every piece-his “fantasy wood grains.” Lately, a bit of a twisted floral motif or tramp art-inspired geometrics have been added. “If I had to become static, I’d probably go into something else. I like to see what changes evolve,” he says.
New vision: “I like whenever I can have the furniture have a more metamorphic sort of look.” A blanket chest, for example, has painted geometric “eyes.” “I squeeze things in like that,” he says.
Outlets: Plum Line Gallery, 1503 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-328-7586, carries his work, or contact Daniel B. Pohl Furniture, 9654 Krogwold Rd., Amherst Junction, Wis. 54407, 715-677-4073. Pieces generally take about four to six weeks. Prices average $1,200 to $3,500.