Michael Gloor Biography

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Award-winning artist Michael Gloor's contemporary, eclectic furniture does not fit neatly into one style category. While it is influenced by the simplicity of Shaker design, the formality of oriental architecture and the asymmetry of Japanese ceramics, his work is wholly driven by the creative process. Each piece proceeds from an original idea and is informed by the nature of the wood, it's purpose and it's ultimate location. Often seen as the poor relation of fine art, “functional art”, whether in the shape of a Frank Lloyd Wright house, or a Sung dynasty bowl, possesses both the unique design sense of the artist and the precision and skill of the master craftsman. In his work Gloor specializes in using elegant curves and graceful lines to create distinctive pieces which harmonize with any environment.

Born in Seattle, with a childhood spent in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Nebraska, Gloor came to furniture making by an equally circuitous route. A physics major in college, he discovered a love and a talent for clay work while taking a ceramics elective. He abandoned his science studies and immersed himself in art, earning a BFA from the prestigious Kansas City Art Institute.

After graduation he returned to Rhode Island, showcasing his work in his Newport showroom and in national galleries. During this period he also became interested in using wood as a creative material; that learning process took him from stair building, through cabinetry and boat work, to furniture making which he now does in his workshop in Peace Dale, RI.

He has been featured on the HGTV series Modern Masters, and in publications including Home Furniture Magazine, The Guild, Newport Life and Rhode Island Monthly in which he was named one of ten “must-have” Rhode Island artists. His work is also included in The Custom Furniture Source Book published by Taunton Press. He exhibits every year at the Fine Furnishings Show in Providence and he has been in juried shows at the Providence Art Club, the Mystic Art Association, The Wayne Art Association in Pennsylvania, the Guilford Handcraft Center Gallery in Connecticut, the River Review in Providence and the Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kingston, RI. His work is also in private collections in the United States and abroad.

His comprehensive range of pieces includes dining and conference tables, chairs, armoires, desks, coffee tables, lamps, entertainment centers and bedroom suites and he is continually designing new pieces both experimentally and to commission.