Bio and Statement: Fred Puksta
As a designer, artist and artisan, I create designs within the two very different worlds of art and industry. After graduating from University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business in 1981, I trained at Dartmouth College in an attempt to make the U.S. National / Olympic rowing team. I was then accepted to the Wendell Castle school of Design, where upon graduation, I served as an artisan in the personal studio of Wendell Castle, the renowned artist and sculptor. One notable project I contributed to was the 500,000th Commemorative Steinway concert grand piano.
I eventually returned to my native New Hampshire and established my own design studio creating and marketing contemporary furniture, tall clocks, sculpture and art work. I fulfilled commissions for residential, commercial and public installations. A notable public commission was an eight-foot-tall sculptural clock on permanent display at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH.
In addition to speculative and commissioned artwork, I designed and developed new products for commercial companies and have had successful designs in prominent retailers throughout the United States such as Crate & Barrel. Several of my commercial designs have received honorable mentions and received national design awards at the furniture capital of America in High Point, North Carolina.
Currently, I am the new product designer for Crown Point Cabinetry, a nationally distributed high-end custom cabinetry company. In addition to developing new product lines and aesthetics, I also design custom furniture and specialty pieces for Crown Point’s discerning clientele. I am also a member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association.
Through exploration, I continually challenge myself to bring inspiration and innovation from my art work into my commercial designs and vice-versa. I value the simultaneous engagement within the different worlds of art, industry and artisan craft. It is this unique cross-pollination that continually expands my perspective on the symbiotic relationship between art, craft and industry.