About

Meet Clara Florin

I went to college at The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore from 2000-2004, where I got to dip my fingers into all the different forms of artistic expression. My focus ended up being sculpture, and I loved every minute of it—mixed media classes, welding, ceramics, stone carving, and figure sculpture. I even got to cast my final half-size figure in bronze (my mother named her Ramona!) because I was interning at The New Arts Foundry not too far from campus. That was an incredible experience in itself, and I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

What now?

With no clue what to do with my BFA, I moved back home to Vermont. Little did I know a great opportunity was waiting for me. My father was a consultant for Charles Shackleton Furniture and mentioned they were looking for furniture makers. I looked at him and said "I don't know anything about making furniture!" He explained it would be an apprenticeship, so I gave it a shot and picked it up slowly. I worked there for almost two years, learning from master craftsmen who create custom pieces for the most discerning collectors, before the cold, dark Vermont winters drove me to San Diego in 2006.

Eight years later, in 2014, I came back to Vermont and made my way back into the workshops of what had become ShackletonThomas—a collaboration between Miranda Thomas Pottery and Charles Shackleton Furniture. I felt a bit rusty at first, but slowly got my bearings back, and another eight years of creating museum-quality furniture flew by.

Today, I run my own custom furniture and art studio in South Pomfret, Vermont, bringing together everything I've learned about fine woodworking, craftsmanship, and artistry to create bespoke pieces that will be treasured for generations.