The creations of studio furniture craftsman, Lynn Sweet, are both art objects and functional furnishings that provoke the same curiosity as fine sculpture.  Whether he is building a cabinet, chair or table, Sweet continually experiments with fresh design techniques and unusual finishes that involve the viewer both visually and tactually. His pieces are a pleasure to see, touch and use.

Lynn has been making furniture since the early 70’s. He first worked with the late Charles Wilson Kelly of Versailles, Kentucky, where he learned to “make” antiques. 17^th and 18^th century English chairs and cabinets were disassembled, blueprinted, & used as models to build exact copies, which Kelly sold as reproductions in his Fine Antiques Gallery. Later, as Museum Technician for the Kentucky Historical Society, Sweet worked with the State Capitol Restoration Project, restoring the furniture of the old state capitol chambers and working on the evolving exhibits of the Kentucky History Museum in Frankfort.  While he continued to copy antiques, the artist’s need to push his own ideas prompted variations on historic designs, exploring the use of both old and new elements in commissions for various clients.  For the past two decades, Sweet has maintained a studio and overseen the woodworking program at the University of Kentucky Department of Art. His exhaustive study of design history is evident in his work.  Modern and contemporary influences are as apparent as the influences of the past, and while much of his early work reflects his interest in Neo-Classicism and Post Modernism, a large influence on his work today can be found in the pieces displayed in the Paris Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes Exhibit of 1925--a mode better known today as Art Deco--and in the forms of the International Style and Modernist architecture.

 Sweet’s own signature style embraces new Modernism or Neo-Modernism, exhibiting impeccable craftsmanship and a fearless sense of adventure. He continues to investigate ways to process his materials, creating  unusual bends, multi-dimensional curves and complex forms. A variety of veneers, domestic & imported, are used as well as unique polychrome (multi-color) finishes. Granite, glass, cast bronze, steel and other durable materials are also employed with sensitivity. Often, the interiors of his case goods surprise with bold contrasts to his exterior surfaces.  These functional art objects perform in either home or office with sophistication & elegance.

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Lynn Sweet is a staff instructor at the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts
in the Department of Art’s Studio Area, and the Department of Art’s Fine Arts Institute.
His work is in many private and public collections and he has exhibited in many galleries
and shows in the United States and Europe.

The works that you’ll see at this sight are a synthesis of elements found in a wide range of art and art related disciplines: decorative arts, architecture, automotive and industrial design of the 20^th century. The line and form of objects that I’ve found beautiful and exciting find their way into my furniture in ways that may not be immediately obvious, but read organically in the finished piece.

Through an investigation of form, process and material I’ve developed a vocabulary that addresses a respect for thoughtful design, careful craftsmanship and surface and material manipulation.

Through a collaboration between you the client and myself we can assess your needs in terms of design, material preference, space utilization and integration with existing or planned areas of use in the home or office, thereby assuring satisfaction upon installation. I look forward to crafting for you work that is unique- one of a kind, will serve your aesthetic and functional needs, and that will express your refined sense of interior appointment for generations to come.