ABOUT DESIGNER/CRAFTSMAN
HAL ROSS
Hal Ross is an honors graduate with a Master's Degree in Art and Design
from California State University, Long Beach. While specializing in metal-smithing
and art jewelry, Hal became interested in woodworking as a means for building
larger scale sculptural art pieces for his exhibition work.
The genesis of Hal's art and design work began years earlier while studying the teachings of the Russian mystic George Gurdjieff and a chance encounter in the hills above Los Angles with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
"I felt drawn into the mystery of what was behind this strange and wonderful structure that seemed to have a presence far beyond its physical form."
This structure was the Charles Ennis house designed by Wright in 1923 overlooking the city just north of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards and his work in Barnsdall Park and the Hollyhock house.
"For several years I lived in close vicinity to some of the best examples of Wright's Southern California architectural work."
While writing a graduate thesis on the work of Charles and Henry Greene, Hal's interest was rekindled in the architecture of Craftsman style homes and neighborhood environments, prompting him on numerous visits to nearby Pasadena to view and tour the many beautiful homes and examples of the Greene's work. This in turn led to the purchase in 1978 of an original 1910 two-story Craftsman bungalow in what was to become the Bluff Park Historic District of Long Beach.
After several years of major restoration work on what was to become his Post graduate project, Hal was asked to represent his neighborhood as a member of the cultural Heritage Commission for the City of Long Beach. Hal served in this capacity for the full eight year term ending in 1994
Hal's art and design background and his love for the Craftsman era led to work on area homes replicating original Craftsman work, restoration and consulting on Craftsmen homes. After years of annual tours to Craftsman homes, Hal noticed the lack of outdoor garden or patio furniture designed specifically for the Craftsman bungalow and Mission style homes.
Following several commissions to build Craftsman style gate systems, planter boxes and garden benches, The Craftsman Collection (shown here) was designed to fill that void. These architecturally scaled pieces are designed to compliment the complete Craftsman Bungalow environment.
