John Faulkner says his love for creating things began in a salvage yard in Berkeley, California. The company where he worked from 1996–2001—Urban Ore, Inc.—was dedicated to reusing discarded objects.

“I was in charge of the ‘hardware’ department,” says John. “It was basically a large pile of junk in the far corner of a dusty warehouse. It was extremely boring ... and to pass the time, I would build bicycles and custom lamps. When complete, I would offer them for sale. at this stage in my life, I had limited welding and machining skills, and (so) the lamps were pretty crazy looking but very popular with the Bay area folks!”

Needing more challenging work, John seized on an opportunity to work on the Millennium Sculpture that was being designed by sculptor Anish Kapoor for installation in Millennium Park in the Loop area of Chicago. “Prior to this, I had worked for a company building stage and movie props. When I heard of the Millennium project, i wanted to get involved.”

John got a job at Performance Structures in Oakland, California, the firm that was contracted to construct Kapoor’s creation. “After learning to weld, I developed what I called the ‘Faulkner Technique’ for adjusting the large stainless steel plates that comprised the sculpture.”

He explains that the sculpture was built in many small pieces of stainless steel that had to be fabricated to an exact tolerance—within .006”—dictated by the artist’s drawing. each plate was baked in an oven to relieve the welding stress and then milled in one of the world’s largest milling machines.

“The curved plates were polished to a mirror finish and then shipped from Oakland to Chicago where union ironworkers assembled it.” Often referred to as “The Bean,” the sculpture attracts tourists from around the world.

Working on such a spectacular project seemed the normal thing to do for the young artist. “I always knew that I would be doing something different. expressing myself through art work and creating things always seemed to come naturally to me,” he says.

His parents divorced when he was four, and he subsequently moved with his sister between his parents’ various homes—Chicago, New Orleans, Oakland, St. John in the Virgin Islands. “Although this was difficult for me,” he admits, “it expanded my life experience.”

He and his artist wife Sarah (Laurel of Asheville cover artist, April 2010) moved to Burnsville about five years ago. At the time, they were living in the artists’ mecca of Santa Fe, New Mxico. But John says they also recognized our region “as a paradise for artists and craftspeople, and we wanted to be part of it.”

Using a variety of materials, including all types of distressed and ancient wood, steel, aluminum, glass, brass, and discarded machined objects, John creates beautiful pieces of industrial-style lamps, tables, sconces, and other items. About the many different metals with which he works, John jokes, “If i can weld it, i can use it.”

But his inspiration, where does that come from? The story of a lamp is one great example.

“My first custom lamp was created in 1999. My son Basil enjoyed waking me up early each morning—by knocking over a cheap lamp. Well, that got old after a while, so I built a lamp with a heavy gear from a sugar processing plant. It was so heavy that Basil couldn’t make it budge. I owe my lighting design career to my son!”

What is there about John most people might not know? He collects vintage bicycles. “I have more than 80 bikes of various years, makes, and models. The oldest is a 1916 Iver Johnson in ride-able condition.” He says his obsession for collecting bikes started when he was a young boy living in a not-so- safe neighborhood in which his bikes were constantly being stolen.

Currently, about 20% of John’s work is commissioned pieces. “The rest,” he says, “is pure speculation for those who appreciate modern furniture.”

As his popularity continues to spread, it’s apparent there are a lot of people who appreciate modern furniture and particularly John’s unique ability to create it.

John Faulkner’s works can be seen at Miya Gallery, 20 N. Main Street in Weaverville; Gallery 262, 142 N. Main Street in Waynesville; and Woolworth Walk, 25 Haywood Street in Asheville. For more information about the artist, visit johnfaulknerdesign.com.