L to R: Jeffrey Cooper, Roger Myers, Ted Blachly, Garrett Hack, Richard Oedel

John Cameron

The work of cabinetmaking—the designing, joining and finishing of a piece—appeals to me, as it demands the use of both the hands and mind. I began my career in 1984 as a boat builder’s apprentice; boat work fascinates me, as almost nothing is straight or square. From 1992 through 1994, I attended the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, California where I studied with James Krenov. I draw much creative inspiration from Jim as well as the 20th century woodworkers Edward Barnsley and Wharton Esherick.

I now design and build fine furniture on commission and speculation in my one-person shop in East Gloucester, Massachusetts. I am a member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters, and was formerly part of Fort Point Cabinetmakers in Boston; in May 2011, I was awarded an Artist Fellowship in Crafts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. I was invited to exhibit in the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and to participate in Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture, a group of events and exhibits organized by several partnering institutions. My furniture has been shown at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH; the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA; The Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, MA; The Gallery at Somes Sound in Somesville, ME; the Messler Gallery in Rockport, ME; the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH; the Lamont Gallery in Exeter, NH; Pritam and Eames in East Hampton, NY; the Highlight Gallery in Mendocino, CA; the MacKeen Gallery in Boston, MA; and other galleries on the East Coast. It has been featured in the books With Wakened Hands and In the Modern Style, as well as Fine Woodworking, Home Furniture, Woodwork, and American Woodworker magazines. I currently teach at The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, and have taught at Worcester Center for Crafts and the Boston Center for Adult Education in the past.

John Cameron's Work