Dan Murphy
Middleburg, VA
Sycamore Bowl from Middleburg Tree
Dan is fascinated by how simple turned forms reveal the stunning beauty in the grain, color, and pattern of local hardwoods. His projects use trees felled by storms that might otherwise be destined for the burn-pile. He calls this “returning” as it presents a chance to re-purpose that wood in celebration of the beauty of the Middleburg Area. Early on, Dan worked as a furniture-maker and restoration carpenter, leading him to graduate from RISD and a life-long career of designing museum exhibits. Now retired, Dan has returned to woodworking with an enhanced appreciation of form and the beauty inherent in a material that is a living partner in design. Dan’s pieces are meant to be lived with, used, and periodically refreshed with beeswax polish. The color will deepen and the shape may adjust in response to the humidity of your home. This is the beauty of wood, each unique piece is a bit of nature brought indoors. A long-time Middleburg resident, Dan works in his barn at Shamrock Studio, named to recognize the good fortune he has enjoyed in life.