About Wilkinson |
Alan Wilkinson was born in Glendale, California, in 1943. He came to Hawai`i in 1963 to surf for a while and ended up staying. He attended the University of Hawaii in a Bachelors of Fine Arts program, majoring in sculpture with a minor in Asian art history. Financial reality changed his career course, starting with a job in a local shipyard working on large wooden vessels. In 1968, that job ended and Wilkinson Koa Furniture began. The learning curve was steep, although training seminars with Sam Maloof, James Krenov, Ian Kirby, Alan Peters, and especially, a three week intensive with Art Carpenter in 1976 accelerated his understanding of designing and building furniture. As the furniture got better, so did the clients and commissioned projects. Alan's first pieces were a desk and chair, commissioned by the founder of a restaurant chain. Over time, Alan has built custom pieces for many high-end clients. Over 20 years ago, a client commissioned Wilkinson to build a "high-chair for a little prince." Now we know that little prince as Prince William. The high chair sits in the Permanent Collection of the Royal Family of England. Many of today's clients started their collection in the mid-70's to the early 80's. Although Alan has created a few speculation pieces for shows and galleries, Alan's main focus has always been on commissioned pieces. Besides Alan's love for koa and wood craft, he is an avid fan of the University of Hawaii sports program. When Alan is not hard at work in his Pearl City shop, you can find him rooting for the UH football, women's volleyball, men's volleyball, baseball, women's basketball, or men's basketball team. He's been a proud season ticket holder for UH football for more than 20 years, cheering the team on from the nose-bleed section of Aloha Stadium. |