Furniture of the moment for the not too tightly wound. The whimsical furniture shown here is the result of a lifetime as a designer/woodcarver. Barry Leader began his career as a hobby, after being inspired by a woodcarver on his honeymoon trip to Cape Cod.
Barry's constantly changing style has evolved from the earliest beginnings in folk art, country, and primitive. He then carved trade signs - some up to 15 feet long and carved with intricate 3-dimensional carvings of animals, human figures, and various trade symbols, all gilded in gold leaf. He carved over 400 signs.
His next area of interest was innovative carved birdhouses, which gained recognition in numerous newspaper articles all across the country through the shops and galleries that sold his contemporary birdhouses. The birdhouses carved like cats, rabbits, and people were sold in numerous gift catalogs and featured in books about birdhouses.
Barry's present interest is in furniture, mirror frames, and clocks. In addition to his work sold in shops, galleries, and department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, he is taking commissions for custom furniture for people's homes.
"It is such a pleasure working with wood, but in today's world, saving today's trees is an important part of my craft. I cast some of the components of my furniture from my original carvings, in man-made materials to cut down on my usage of wood." He also uses man made medium density fiberboard from recycled wood by-products.
In addition to acceptance to nationally known craft shows on the East and West Coasts, and selling his work all across the country, Barry exhibited his work at the Fiore de Paris in Paris, France. He also sells his work around the world: France, Holland, Japan, England, Saudia Arabia and Australia. He has served as juror for prominent craft shows.
Barry's studio and home is in Pennsylvania's Amish country. Barry's wife, Tricia, manages a beautiful bed and breakfast inn at the edge of town, in addition to helping Barry.
What is next? Who knows, but you can bet it will be innovative, exciting, and bring a smile to your face.