Meet the Reboli Center’s November Artisan of the Month: Brian Tierney
The Reboli Center’s November Artisan of the Month is St. James woodworker Brian Tierney.
Tierney grew up in Port Jefferson and has lived in Saint James since 1972. He was in high school the same time, but a different grade, when the late artist Joseph Reboli was a student. The two did not know one another. It was while in high school that Brian developed an interest in woodworking and a hobby turned into a career.
Many of the pieces of furniture in his home have been made by Brian. They include night stands, a jelly cupboard, shelves, benches and many more items. All were made with power tools and it wasn’t until about four years ago that he mastered hand tools, and had to learn how to sharpen chisels, planes and saws. With this new skill set, Brian learned how to make stars. At first, he created four pointed stars and then with a lot of practice was able to make stars with up to eight points.
All the stars are finished with mineral oil to bring out the grain, add a little sheen and prevent drying out. No dye or stain is used.
“I love the quietness of using only hand tools, and what I consider the artistic choices involved, like planning how many points to have, what size to make the star, and what combinations of wood to use. I look at a finished star and think, wow, I made that,” Brian said.
Brian obtains his wood from several sources and uses a variety of woods. Some pieces are reclaimed from unwanted furniture providing his with oak, sycamore, birch, and cedar, along with fir, pine, spruce and maple. He also buys wood online, such as walnut, African mahogany, purpleheart, zebrawood and padauk, which is a west African wood. According to Brian, “All wood has unique characteristics of color, grain pattern, and hardness. Purpleheart is a beautiful color, but is over three times as hard as red oak, and dulls saws and planes blades very quickly. It doesn’t even glue well because it is so waxy.”
“It is very complimentary to have my work chosen to be displayed at the Reboli Center, a place of such good taste and style, by such talented artists and artisans,” Brian added.
Lois Reboli, a founder of the Center and president said, “As the holiday season approaches, I think Brian’s work will find a new home with many of our visitors. The stars will be a beautiful addition to one’s holiday decorations or as gifts.”
The Reboli Center is located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook, and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free,. For more information, call 631-751-7701. Please check its website at www.ReboliCenter.com for additional programs and upcoming events.
