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Tadpole's Work: Dave Tranquilla holds the fish that was his first wood-working project, completed when was in the ninth grade. Photo by Olivia Dwyer |
CommentsTranquilla Puts Creative Process to Work on Wood
By Olivia DwyerPublished: February 11, 2010
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Truckee resident Dave Tranquilla still has his first woodworking project, a small fish that he made in ninth grade while he was laid up with a broken leg.
In the 25 years since, Tranquilla has studied graphic design, toured the country as a drummer, acquired a pilot’s license — he is an instructor at the Truckee airport — and spent 25 days on a motorcycle riding to Alaska.
But even with all these twists and turns and adventures, one thing has remained constant in Tranquilla’s life: he has always used his hands to shape wood. He built the house in Glenshire that he shares with his wife, Krista, and their 3-year-old daughter, Gypsy. In the garage of this house is the workshop where Tranquilla runs his business, Mountain Investments, and practices his craft as a furniture and cabinetmaker. He and his wife moved to Truckee from the Bay Area in 2001 to realize their dream of living in the mountains. Despite the current economic climate, which is less than friendly to small businesses, Tranquilla and his family are committed to doing whatever it takes to stay at home in Truckee.
The current project on the table in Tranquilla’s workshop is an entertainment center, brought to him by a client that wasn’t satisfied with someone else’s attempt.
“I like the creative process of wood working,” Tranquilla says. “It can be complex, a headache — but I enjoy the process of trying to bring this thing back to life.”
Tranquilla is originally from Detroit, MI, and earned an arts degree from the University of Michigan with an emphasis on graphic design. But despite this background, he has never worked in graphic design and shies away from claiming the title associated with the fine arts medium with which he is most familiar.
“I would never call myself a sculptor. I would never put that moniker on myself,” Tranquilla says. “[But] I’m still working with the creative process. It’s working with materials and understanding materials and how they work and relate to each other.”
A pencil and paper or clamps and a ruler are tools that Tranquilla is happy to call his own, even admitting that his wife makes fun of his electric eraser. While he is building and creating, it is with more than artistic effect in mind.
“There’s a definite vision that I’m trying to achieve through the design process,” he says. “But it’s with functional things. You’re not looking to elicit a lot of emotion from an entertainment center.”
New Dimensions
Tranquilla embarked on a new challenge in January 2009, when he began designing the furniture for Gather, a Berkeley restaurant owned by Ari Derfel, an organic chef and activist, that opened in November 2009. The two men became friends during Tranquilla’s years in the Bay Area, and Derfel called upon Tranquilla to use his carpentry skills to help furnish the organic restaurant that was envisioned as nothing short of groundbreaking in its sustainability.
This eco-conscious mindset led to unique building materials. All of the furniture created by Tranquilla for the restaurant is made from reclaimed pickle barrels. The 100-year-old barrels came from British Columbia, Canada, and were made from 600-year-old Douglas firs. Originally held together with a system of straps and pins, the wood had developed a distinct character over its lifetime.
“It was a little bit rougher,” Tranquilla says. “There was more variability in the wood and the color. We took more time choosing the correct pieces and matching the different grains and color patterns.”
Beginning in July 2009, Tranquilla created an array of furniture for Gather. He constructed wait stations, a back bar, overhead cabinets, lockers, and countertops. Finishes and glues with low content of volatile organic compounds were also used.
“It was my first really big cabinet job incorporating reclaimed materials,” Tranquilla says. “They wanted everything as green as could be. It was a fun challenge to use the materials in a way that wasn’t so standard and so clean.”
Committed to Learning
Tranquilla’s work for Gather represented a new scope for the carpenter. Most of his business is word of mouth referrals for individual pieces, pairings, or sets. In the 15 years he has focused on cabinet and furniture making, Tranquilla has tried his hand at many different styles, including Early American, Arts and Crafts, and modern pieces. He is familiar with a broad spectrum of wood types, happy and capable of working with whatever the client prefers. No matter what the style or material on call, Tranquilla acquires new skills and knowledge with each project.
“It’s a cliché, but it’s a never-ending learning process,” Tranquilla says. “Every job has its own nuances that require experimentation.”
Tranquilla does not ride a learning curve gently — instead, he gives the impression that he will seize a passion and commit himself to realizing his full potential at whatever it may be. After college, his zeal for the drums led him to jazz, country, even hip-hop bands, and spurred his relocation to San Francisco.
“In my soul, it was my last hurrah to see if I could make it,” Tranquilla says of pursuing his musical aspirations. “Paths change, and this is the path we’re on right now.”
Info: Dave Tranquilla, Mountain Invetments, (530) 263-3479
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