Parklane Gallery is now featuring artist Russ Riddle’s woodwork that will be on display through May.

He creates one-of-a-kind studio furniture with beautiful designs, clean lines and a simplicity that he says people find alluring. Riddle describes the process of creating a piece of furniture as melding his design ideas with the patterns and beauty he discovers in the wood itself.

“My desire is that each piece evokes some of the awe I feel for the beauty of nature,” he said, adding that his pieces are about the wood and he doesn’t want the design to overpower the wood.

He incorporates marquetry and inlay designs into many of his pieces, but tries to limit their extent so that they work to coax the eye into discovering the beauty of the design and of the wood itself. He also feels that fine craftsmanship is very important — not just for its own sake, but mostly because he feels it is an integral part of bringing out the beauty of the design and the patterns and figures of the wood.

Riddle designs and creates his pieces one at a time from solid wood.

“I think of all of my pieces as a balancing,” he explained. “I love using highly figured woods just for their intrinsic spectacle. But, they also tip the balance of a piece toward nature. My marquetry, which is not symmetrical, not limited to borders, adds to the wildness. So do natural edges. This contrasts with the architectural and structural forms of the pieces. These tip the scales toward control, toward civilization.”

In addition, many of his art piece utilize “saved” wood from old or removed trees.

As part of the vibrant Kirkland art gallery community, artist-owned Parklane Gallery has been a touchstone for artists and fine art lovers since 1991. With a dedicated group of 40-plus established and emerging artists, Parklane brings new and original works to the Kirkland community each month.

Parkland Gallery is located at 130 Park Lane. For information, call 425-827-1462 or visit www.RussRiddleDesigns.com.