Stefan Bishop in his studio.
Photo: Chris Fortuna
Creative Mind: Stefan Bishop
Transforming wood into out-of-this-world furniture and decorative pieces, the California artisan is pushing the boundaries of his craft to dramatic effect
Stefan Bishop’s Ash mirror and Zoetic console, available at Ralph Pucci. Photo: Antoine Bootz
The road to creative success isn’t always a straight line, as sculptor and furniture designer Stefan Bishop can attest. After developing a fierce attachment to woodworking as a student at the California College of the Arts, he struggled with the medium. “It was super frustrating because I couldn’t learn fast enough,” says Bishop, who left school to apprentice with makers in Berkeley, California, and Chicago.
It was decades before he unlocked his full potential, even trying other careers before he had an “epiphany.” In one night, he was flooded with concepts, filling notebooks, napkins, even the kitchen counter with ideas. Two months later he opened his studio, producing forms that appear rugged at first glance but astound with their geometric precision on closer inspection.
Stefan Bishop exhibition at Ralph Pucci. Photo: Antoine Bootz
“Things still get an immense amount of handwork to them, but the digital realm is so expansive it’s almost overwhelming”
stefan bishop
Stefan Bishop’s Agaricus coffee table. Photo: Antoine Bootz
Now represented by Ralph Pucci, he transforms wood beyond its obvious boundaries—his new Zoetic tables and bench have a graceful, organic flow. Vulcan, a massive angular mirror, conjures the colors and textures of a meteorite hurtling through space, engineered for the first time in the artist’s practice using computer design. “Things still get an immense amount of handwork to them,” says Bishop, “but the digital realm is so expansive it’s almost overwhelming.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Stefan Bishop in his studio.
Photo: Chris Fortuna
