Judges honor the best in Western shows

Frank Strazza of Waco won the Best in Show award at the 13th annual Texas Furniture Makers Show, held Nov. 8 to Dec. 8 at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville, Texas.

The show, exclusively for Texas custom furniture makers, featured more than 40 exhibitors and more than 60 entries in the award categories.

Strazza is now a two-time winner of the Best in Show honor. The veteran woodworker and teacher at the Center for Essential Education’s school of woodworking near Elm Mott won for a Federal-style hall table. Randolph Secrest of Spicewood was second and Bert Ray of Wimberley was third in the judging.

Other “Best of” awards went to James Breaux of San Antonio (contemporary piece), Caleb James of Katy (traditional style), Lou Quallenberg of Llano (Texas style) and Jeremy Grubb of Dickinson (art style).

In Jackson Hole, Wyo., more than a hundred artists, woodworkers and designers showed in September at the juried Western Design Conference.

The 20th anniversary show, part of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, features Western-influenced furniture, jewelry, leather goods and apparel. Two furniture makers did well in the best artist category, with a win by John Wesley Williams of Renick, W.Va., and honorable mention for Mike Roths of Bear Paw Designs in Stevensville, Mont.

Contacts

Texas Furniture Makers Show, 228 Earl Garrett St., Kerrville, TX 78028. Tel: 830-895-2911. www.texasfurnituremakersshow.com

Western Design Conference, P.O. Box 7889, Jackson, WY 83002. Tel: 307-690-9719. www.westerndesignconference.com

This article originally appeared in the January 2013 issue.