THE COGHLAN COLLECTION

Below are past tables that have been sold
They are available by commission

A few years ago I attended an exhibit of Northwest Coast furniture in Vancouver, B.C. Although the designs on the furniture were beautiful they were really just designs applied to existing styles of European furniture. There was nothing that incorporated Northwest forms into the design of the furniture.

Believing in the functionality of simplicity and wanting to create a piece of furniture that elegantly displayed the forms that it is based on I collaborated with a friend, Jim Ryall, a master wood worker and cabinet maker. We chose the classic "U" shape that is the mainstay of northwest coast design. This shape has a structural quality that enables it to support a great deal of weight if it is constructed out of the right materials. We wanted to stick to traditional wood types so we made the legs out of alder. The grain was reversed on ether side of the legs for added strength, with steel reinforcements hidden inside. The table top is 3/4" plate glass and is fairly heavy. In order to support this weight and still keep the tips of the "U"s thin, the grain is also reversed on the ends of the legs.

Stan Hunt's carving of a Salmon   fits into the table perfectly.  The glass forms the surface of the water that you look through to see the Salmon swimming over the river bed. To me the migrating Salmon is one of the icons of life in the northwest. In ancient times people depended on the returning salmon for their survival. Today British Columbia's economy depends on those same returning salmon. As an avid sports fisherman myself, I understand the importance of maintaining these salmon runs.

Salmon Table #1
by
Stan Hunt, Bryant Ross and Jim Ryall
"Salmon Table" - red cedar, alder, steel, plate glass
top; 27" x 32",  16" high - $5500 can ($3800 us) SOLD

Salmon Returns Table
Stan Hunt, Jim Ryall and Bryant Ross

Salmon Returns Table
Stan Hunt, Jim Ryall and Bryant Ross
Salmon Table #2
red cedar and alder with Fraser River rock inlay.
Glass size 34" x 26" x 3/4" thick
Sold
for more info
contact the gallery

         
 
click for larger versions

Soul Catcher Table
Bryant Ross

Yellow Cedar, alder, abalone
$5000 cdn
sold

Frog Women Table
Stan Hunt and Bryant Ross

red cedar, cedar bark, oak, glass
20.5" high x 49.5" dia
$12000 cdn

This sculpture represents Stanley's mother, who was Frog clan, and his 4 sisters. It is framed by oak legs that incorporate the "u" shape used in northwest coast design. The table top is 3/4" plate glass. This table combines the drama of the northwest coast with the elegance of functional furniture design.