Neighbor Featured Artist #15: The Wood Studio

Wood Studio Reflects Tradition of Family Craftmanship

If there is an art as essential to the Appalachian culture, it is furniture making. Born in the mountains out of necessity - from the need to produce practical items for the household. It was part of the character of the mountain settlers to make these functional pieces beautiful as well. To this day, the Appalachian region is known as a mecca for cabinetry, with a tradition of keeping the art in the family and passing it to the next generation. As an example of what I’m talking about, let me introduce you to the creative world of the Cochran boys.
Visitors to James-Ben: Studio & Gallery in downtown Greeneville have seen the work of Randy, Keith, and Dylan Cochran whether they know it or not. The magnificent 8 foot maple front counter in the gallery is a creation of the Wood Studio, and represents the loving, meticulous aesthetic expressed by this team of a father and two sons. Randy Cochran and gallery director James-Ben Stockton had become acquainted as exhibitors in fine craft shows. “I hadn’t seen Randy for a while when he came to a reception for one of my gallery shows,” says Stockton. “He told me he was finally going into custom furniture-making full time. What a good day that was!” When Stockton’s gallery relocated and re-opened in historic Greeneville, a friend offered a gift of a new front counter and asked who Stockton would like to have make it. Without hesitation, he put her in touch with Randy Cochran.
A native of north Alabama, Randy Cochran is a charming fellow whose Southern drawl and wicked sense of humor make a fine counterpoint to the sophistication of his designs in cabinetry. He’s been known to describe his style as “Scandinavian-Shaker”, after two furniture-making traditions he admires. “When I was in school at Auburn, I was lucky enough to study with instructors whose professors were from the Bauhaus School of Design,” he says. After a career that included design and fabrication of wood-working machinery, telephones, industrial machinery, electronics, and museum exhibits, he built his first commissioned piece of furniture in 1973, and opened the Wood Studio in 1986. “I’ve worked every day like a crazy man ever since to build up our small family business.” As a founding member of The Furniture Society, Randy also devotes considerable time and energy to promoting the craft he loves.
Keith Cochran, Randy’s oldest son, cultivates a laid-back, ball cap persona that overlays a deeply artistic soul. He admits that he “filled all my high school electives with art classes.” His dead-pan delivery of jokes is a characteristic he shares with his father. “Keith came by the gallery on the morning of September 11th, 2001, and told us what was happening before we’d even turned on the television,” says Stockton. “We were so used to his sense of humor that at first we didn’t believe him.” Also like his dad, Keith got his degree from the College of Industrial Design at Auburn. While still in high school, he began working in the field of custom car audio systems and continued this work professionally for several years. After graduating from Auburn with several “Best of Studio” awards under his belt, Keith went to work as a custom boat builder for Hugh Saint, Inc., producing classic mahogany runabouts. With the opening of the Wood Studio, he was lured into the perilous world of self-employment.
With an outgoing father and brother, both of whom are inveterate comedians, Dylan Cochran is the “quiet one”. He began working in the Wood Studio while still in high school and was voted “Most Talented” by his classmates. An award-winner in several different art competitions, he staked out his own unique territory within a creative family with his environmental work. While continuing the family connection to Auburn University, Dylan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management and spent a summer as an intern for the Council on Environmental Quality within the Executive Office of the President in Washington, D.C. While still in college, he participated in the Cooperative Education Program and worked as an air quality technician for an environmental consulting firm. Eventually he, too, was sweet-talked into devoting full time to the family business.
All three Cochrans now reside near the Wood Studio’s new location in north Alabama. Randy took up housekeeping in the family’s old home, a 1914 bungalow nestled “in Little Wills Valley within spitting distance of the southern-most collection point for the Trail of Tears.” Keith, with his beautiful wife Allison (and a pack of wild dogs) lives within the Bankhead National Forest. Dylan is in nearby Arley residing at the Wood Studio’s newest shop. With a fine view of Lookout Mountain, and nearby Lewis Smith Lake to satisfy outdoor interests, the Cochran boys seem to have found a contentment that feeds their creative productivity.
I’ve chosen to spend my words in describing the artists in this column because the striking visual images of their work speak more eloquentlly of their skills and love of wood than I could possibly manage. Appreciation of the beautiful design and splendid craftsmanship of the Wood Studio’s commissioned furniture has even been expressed by actor/activist Robert Redford, who has included the Cochrans’ furniture in his exclusive Sundance Catalog. “At the heart of every piece is our ambition to celebrate the natural beauty and character of the material,” says Randy (in one of his more serious moments). The Cochrans produce a full range of furniture and cabinets but a Wood Studio chair is a particular prize for its comfort and back support. “Sometimes it’s hard to get customers to sit in one of the chairs because they’re so beautiful,” says Stockton. “But once we persuade them to sit down it’s hard to get them to get back up agaiin.” Locally, the work of Randy, Keith, and Dylan can be seen, touched, sat-on, ooohed and ahhhed over, and acquired or ordered at James-Ben: Studio & Gallery. “I’ve seen men caress our maple front counter with a tenderness that makes their wives jealous,” says James-Ben Stockton. “We take great pride in affectionately representing these three gentlemen.”