Woodworker: John P. McCormack

McCormack crafted this chest when his friends Cathie and Sam got married. In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, the couple asked that guests help fund two commissions, this chest by McCormack and a stained glass window by another artist. McCormack’s design is loosely inspired by a 17th-century chest at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The white oak used in construction and the stained glass of the other wedding gift inspired the chest’s colorful carving. McCormack used poplar as a secondary wood and finished the piece with Japan colors and an eggshell varnish finish. He also crafted the bronze pulls shaped like acorns.

Photo: Lance Patterson