THE PROCESS
Michael Gregorio has built a reputation as a furniture maker, building studio furniture, custom residential furniture and antique reproductions spanning three decades.  He simultaneously honed his design and woodworking skills as he developed as a furniture artist.
Michael's approach to design is slow and contemplative. He spends weeks if not months sketching and modifying a design idea until it feels right, with a concept that is well defined. He works several sketches at once, until one or two really stand out as special, visually or conceptually.  Michael’s latest body of work is a series of burl top tables. The inspiration comes from  his intense fascination with space and science. He likes using burls because the swirling grain has this churning, nebulous effect. He is also inspired by the natural live edge of the burl slabs, but modifies them by undercutting and rounding, to suggest an eroded or molten quality. Sometimes the shape influences or creates the concept for the piece directly, as is the case with “Let it Go”. The protrusion that holds the rope sparked the concept of holding on  to something. The first piece in the series he calls “Evolution”,(a personal metaphor for his evolving as an artist), is called “Change”. He envisioned the table like a star at the end of its life, collapsing in on itself forming black hole. What emerges is unrecognizable of its original self. The second of the series is “Life Carries On”, which segues from the “Change” concept. The star’s life will end, but in turn will give birth to other life and forms. His latest piece is called “Portals”, a bleached top maple burl with black stained curly maple legs, and a lacquer finish. The holes in the top are the portals or “wormholes”, representing different passages through time and space, a metaphor for choices made in life. Like all artists, his works continues to evolve. “I have many ideas on paper, all I need is time to build them”, he says. Michael’s style is organic and sensual, with the natural shapes curving and flowing into graceful forms. “I am continually exploring the interplay and balance of concave and convex surfaces. The hard and the soft, the push and pull of soft lines with firm edges that dissolve into gentle curves.” The viewer is drawn in with a desire to explore the shapes and contours with a glide of the hand. “ The sculptural nature of my work dictates the use of solid wood instead of veneer. Shaping wood by hand excites me. Seeing it transform into a beautiful, elegant object satisfies me.”
Michael and his wife recently moved to the Hudson Valley.

GALLERIES
Sharada Gallery, Hudson, NY 2005, 2006
Domont Studio Gallery, Indianapolis, IN, 2003
John Christopher Gallery, Huntington, NY,  1991
La Venir Gallery, Great Neck, NY, 1987

PUBLICATIONS
Fine Woodworking’s Design Book Four, 1990
Fine Woodworking’s Design Book Six, 1994
Newsday 1996
The Herald, Featured Artist, 1997
The Beacon, Featured Artist, 1999
Upstate House, 04/2005
Upstate House, 06/2005
The Compass, Featured Artist, 11/2005
Hudson River Sampler, Featured Artist, 2005
Catskill Mountain Guide, Featured Artist,  2005

SHOWS
The Fine Furnishing Providence Show, 2002 & 2003 The Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show, 2003