While he's quite capable of building just about anything you want out of wood, in his work he merges traditional Western furniture with elements inspired by Asian hand tools and carts.
Wheels and tractor-like seats are attached to tables and benches featured in "Peter Zubiate," his one-man show on view through Jan. 11 at the Southwest School of Art & Craft.
"I'm not sure if I consider these pieces furniture or sculpture," Zubiate said. "I want my furniture to be used, but I also want people to go beyond what's expected. I like the idea of furniture being just interesting to look at."
Zubiate was born in El Paso and worked with his father as an antiques restorer in Midland. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. Currently, he and artist Katie Pell share a 6,000-square-foot art deco warehouse in Southtown.
"Originally, we were going to move to Austin, but our deal on a building there fell through, and we decided to move to San Antonio," Zubiate said. "Eight years later and here we are. I do a lot of commission work building just about anything out of wood, but for myself, I wanted to try something different."
Although he's never been to Japan or China, he became interested in Asian wooden tools and handmade carts. He usually begins by making a sketch of the piece of furniture he wants to make, but not detailed plans, and putting it together is often a matter of trial and error.
None of his works are titled, but their function is usually evident. For example, the worktable is just the right height for tinkering. Solid wood wheels are on one end, making it easy to move around. A tractor seat juts out from the other end, providing a place to sit while working on something complicated. A similar tall table — sans seat — would make a handsome bar.
A long bench with a wheel at one end has a pink stripe running down the middle of it. Zubiate said the racing stripe reflects his love of customized cars. While each piece has a color accent of some sort, most of the wood is unfinished except for a coating of oil.
Perhaps his most unusual pieces are multi-drawer cabinets that stick out from the wall on wood frames. Zubiate said he based the design on wooden chests that Japanese apothecaries and tinkerers hauled around on their backs. The wood frames are essentially pack frames.
The largest piece is a bed, modeled on a Murphy bed, designed to fold up into a large box that resembles a giant packing crate.
"I like the whole idea of transformation, something that goes from one thing to another, like the children's toys," Zubiate said. "I have one of my pieces at home and it does stick out too far from the wall and get in the way. It's annoying, but it's also interesting. It definitely makes people pay attention to it."
"Peter
Zubiate" runs through Jan. 11 in the Russell Hill Rogers Gallery,
Southwest School of Art & Craft, 300 Augusta, (210) 224-1848.