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Mark Mooney

Specialty:
I produce custom made picture frames, fine furniture, stained glass lamps and windows in the arts and crafts tradition. I make reproductions and novel designs based on Craftsman, Arts and Crafts, Mission, Prairie, and Greene and Greene styles using quarter sawn white and red oak, mahogany, walnut, ebony, and other hardwoods. I am guided and inspired in my work by the philosophy and beauty of the Arts and Crafts movement of the last century. Honest craftsmanship, good design, and the use of organic materials are the cornerstones of my work. “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” (William Morris).

Mark’s Biography

Mark P. Mooney is a retired academic at the University of Pittsburgh and part-time craftsperson. He splits his time between Jemez Springs, NM, and New Kensington, PA. He is a co-founder of Ginkgo Studios, LLC with his wife Kathleen M. Allen, a potter. Mark’s woodworking skills have been honed over the last two decades. He has studied with Seattle-based artist and craftsman Thomas Stangeland on Greene and Greene style furniture making at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking; Ben Little and Tom Harris, two Roycroft Master Artisans, on Craftsman style furniture making at their studio in East Aurora, NY; and Master Craftsman Jeffery Lohr on Mission Style furniture design at his studio in Pottstown PA. Mark also teaches Arts and Crafts furniture and frame making classes at GNA Woodworks in McKees Rocks, PA. Mark is a member of the Pittsburgh Craftsman’s Guild, Touchstone Center for Crafts, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers. Mark’s work involves creating unique pieces based on designs by the Stickley Brothers, Harvey Ellis, the Roycrofters, and the Greene and Greene brothers. These artists represent Craftsman, Arts and Crafts, Mission, Prairie, and Greene and Greene styles. Mark works mainly with traditional Arts and Crafts style woods such as quarter sawn white and red oak, walnut, mahogany, and ebony. Mark uses both machine and hand tools to produce his pieces. Mark is also well trained in the Tiffany-style (copper foil) method of stained-glass construction and creates lamps and windows in the Greene and Greene, and Arts and Crafts traditions. While Mark makes multiple copies of his work, subtle variations in wood, stains, finishes, and his changing skill level and mind-set all guarantee that each piece is a unique creation. Mark exhibits at various shows and venues in the Pittsburgh area and northern New Mexico each year. He was won numerous awards for his arts and crafts furniture and frames. Mark can be reached at ginkgostudios@comcast.net or on their website theginkgostudios.com.
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