Tiffany DeEtte Shafto - POTTERY

Tiffany DeEtte Shafto is an interior designer turned wood artist, working with her husband, Timothy Allan Shafto. Her passion for working with her hands, creating connections, and her love of writing, led her to co-author, produce and publish the award-winning coffee table book, Contemporary Hawai‘i Woodworkers; the Wood, the Art, the Aloha.

Tiffany is enthusiastic about promoting the arts in Hawai‘i and is currently serving as president of the Hawaii Wood Guild. She is also a director for the Craft Organization Development Association and past president of Hawaii Craftsmen. She spends her volunteer time raising awareness for Hawaii as an arts destination and working to support Hawaii’s fine craft artists.

For Francisco Clemente, taking the leap and moving to Hawaii fulfilled his destiny. As a child growing up in Spain he could hardly wait to explore the world further. As soon as he graduated high school he traveled Europe, living in Paris, Germany, and England. When he returned to Spain he earned his degree in Hotel Administration and set about working in some of the premiere resorts in the south of Spain. Dressed to the “T’ in his tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, and gray tie he served as the front desk clerk, greeting weary travelers and translating for those in need (he speaks four languages). Today, he is worlds away from his early experiences in Europe.

Francisco came to Hawaii on vacation, after living in Las Vegas for several years and trading in his “penguin suit” for a career as a general contractor. Working with his hands created a wonderful, rewarding feeling for him. Since moving to the US, he has always found a way to express himself through his hands—first through stained glass work, then furniture, woodturning, and carving.

The progression has been a natural one for him. When a client asked for a four poster bed, he set about getting bids for the round posts and finials the design required. When the bids came back far too high to make the job profitable, he bought a book on woodturning and a lathe and set about creating the posts himself. The project was successful and he was hooked on woodturning.

One fateful day, a neighbor showed him a few basic tricks on a lathe—a simple candle holder was created. Soon Francisco was selling his candle holders at local craft fairs, though now they were intricately designed with spirals and details. Next, he began selling turned boxes and suddenly local galleries were ordering them. He was making a living through his crafts.

When the challenge of these creations subsided, Francisco pushed himself further—stepping away from the confines of the round forms the lathe produces and began carving new forms. “The wood guides you—tells you what form it wants to be,” says Francisco. He appreciates the freedom that creating an abstract form provides. He works to maximize every piece of wood, every scrap, to capture its essence and natural beauty. He credits Picasso for opening up the world of painting to those who wish to express themselves through art, and feels an affinity to abstract expressionism in his own art.

Francisco’s freeform designs beautifully capture the essence of Hawaii’s woods. He allows the logs to season and dry—often for years—which enables the colors and spalting to develop. He enjoys the challenge of working with different types of woods to create the form and finish that most compliment each of them. Recently, Francisco began experimenting with surface textures, dyes, and color to bring life to some very plain pieces of wood. “I am always looking for new or different ways to do my work—always in search of the ultimate expression,” says Francisco.

His creations have received numerous awards, are a part of the Art in Public Places Collection by the Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts, and are available through fine retailers in Hawaii. To learn more about Francisco Clemente and his work, visit his website at www.GaleriaClemente.com, e-mail him at FClemente@hawaii.rr.com, or read more about him in Contemporary Hawaii Woodworkers; the Wood, the Art, the Aloha.