Beauty Is Boring

Like all statements, the title of this post goes too far.

All beauty is not boring. Some is actually interesting, even intriguing. In order for it to be so, however, there must be an open question, one which draws me and/or you forward into the beauty. There must be something not expected or something missing that should be there. There must be an imbalance that makes us ask why or how.

Shallow beauty has no such question or imbalance. It seems stupid, boring. We do not ask how can it be made or what gets us about it. We simply don’t care.

The piece for today is a three legged table. It consists of a twinning of cherry wood and maple. It challenges our sense of balance. There is no symmetry. Still, most of the people Three Legged Tablewho pass my booth notice this piece and comment on its beauty. They stop by it and look for awhile.

Design is meant to draw us out, to make us bigger and better than we were before we encountered it. Otherwise, we are bored.

Bourgeois Furniture will be at Old Town Vibes in Winchester, Virginia for the next two Saturdays. This is a festival where they invite local artisans to display and sell works on the streets of the walking mall in downtown Winchester. We’ll see you there!