Welcome Back Robyn!
We have some great news over here on Bainbridge. As of last week, our former intern Robyn Luk has returned to the studio full time. She just graduated from RISD, and will be joining us as our our Design, Production, and Studio Assistant. We are thrilled to have her back! Check our some of school her work here and read below to get to know her a bit more:
Q: You just graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design in Furniture. Can you tell us a little about the program and your time there?
A: The furniture program is awesome. Prior to RISD, I had no idea that furniture design as a major even existed, but as soon as I met students within the department and saw some of their work at the senior show (which is always so much fun), I knew that it was for me. The program itself offers mandatory studio classes in woodworking, metalworking, drafting, and basic 3D modeling, and the rest is pretty open-ended and dependent upon each individual student’s interests. My favourite classes would have to be cabinet making, upholstery, and digital embroidery (a textiles elective). The best part about my experience was that I was constantly surrounded by peers and faculty members that couldn’t have been more down-to-earth, hardworking, and passionate about design and making.
Q: You grew up here in the Northwest, what made you want to come back?
A: I came back to the Northwest for a few reasons. I wanted to be closer to my family and best friend/boyfriend. I love the outdoors. I prefer milder winter weather. I like the idea of finding places to eat, shop, and hang out in the city and being able to retreat to the quieter, more nature-y, suburban areas and (islands, of course). And obviously, I had such a great time interning for Grain and I love what they do, so I thought I’d come back for more.
Q: What do you see yourself doing creatively 5 years from now? How about 10?
A: Five years from now, I want to be running some kind of studio practice that offers furniture/household goods and be making some portion of these products myself. Ten years from now…hopefully, I will be doing well enough to afford my own shop space. Can’t wait until I can just go make a chair whenever I feel like it.
Q: Do you still have that chinchilla? It is kind of an unusual pet. Tell us more:
A: Unfortunately, Buckwheat passed away two years ago. :( I first learned about chinchillas when a classmate in elementary school brought hers in for show-and-tell. It was love at first sight, and a few years later, my parents got me Buckwheat for Christmas. I had him for eight years and I can go on forever about him. A few weeks before graduating, I decided that it was time for me to get another one. Her name is Paella and she likes to eat everything, but we love her anyway. Chinchillas make amazing companions and they are always full of surprises! Not to mention, they are easy to care for, they are adorable, and they know how to make you laugh (and cry). It’s just a very rewarding experience. I really can go on forever about chinchillas…
Q: What else don't we know about you?
A: Nature (especially wildlife) and pet photography is my guilty pleasure. I like to take hundreds of pictures and spend days editing them, so if you have a pet and want pictures of him/her… When I can afford it, my other guilty pleasure will be embroidering (on a Tajima machine) colourful patterns made up of different icons (I did a meat series when I took the studio course this past Wintersession) on fabric and make pillow cases. Watching a machine stitch out a design of your own is so satisfying and just way too addicting for my own good.