Looking out from the inside

Artist Louie Tozser does a lot of work in furniture and abstract pieces, finding inspiration nearly everywhere. One of his more noteworthy pieces is based on a welding helmet.

When a friend challenges you to a game of pool, what’s the first thing you notice about the pool table? After glancing at the condition of the felt, most of us move on to looking for a decent cue stick. Sure, some pool tables are fancier than others, but if the felt is in good condition, what else matters?

Full-time artist and part-time furniture-maker Louie Tozser has a different perspective altogether.

“Pool table legs have ugly screw adjusters for leveling,” he said. “Most floors aren’t level, and it seems that one of the screw adjusters is always out so far that you can see the threads, and the others are screwed in most of the way.”

Tozser came up with a pool table that has an out-of-sight leveling system. The slate playing surface rests on a subframe that has six adjusting points, a setup that allows the installer to do two things: level the playing surface and reduce any camber or bow in the slate.

“Slate isn’t manufactured, it’s mined, and it’s usually ground to about ± 0.030 to 0.050 in. of flatness from one end to the other,” he said. “That’s close to flat, but wouldn’t it be nice to remove even that last bit of bow to make it truly flat?”

A History in Steel

Tozser is more metalworker than artist. His grandfather worked in a steel mill, his father and uncles were machinists, and Tozser recalls working on a Bridgeport milling machine when he was about 13 years old. He also credits his lifelong interest in all things mechanical to his junior high metals shop teacher, Dale Grout.

“I was always taking things to school to be welded—a go-kart frame that needed repair or a metal chair that needed a leg welded back on, and things like that,” he said. “Dale wasn’t just a teacher. He was an inspiration.”

Tozser has combined his hands-on capability with a couple of art classes and has been blazing new trails along the way. One of his most unique creations is a lamp made from polycarbonate that lights up from the inside.

“It doesn’t give off enough light to light up a room or even to read by, but it sure looks cool,” he said. The concept turned into one of Tozser’s most high-profile items.

“Someone at Univision [an American Spanish-language television network] saw one of the lamps, looked me up, and asked me to work up an award using this idea.” Given out during awards show Premios Juventud (Youthfulness Awards), it has a marble base and a sleek television motif in polycarbonate and, like the lamp, lights up from the inside. Bestowed on Spanish-speaking celebrities for contributions to film, music, sports, and fashion, the award has been given to Antonio Banderas, Ricky Martin, Shakira, and Jennifer Lopez, to name a few.

Tozser’s piece for peace, “Accept Difference,” is scheduled for permanent display in Riverside, Calif. Riverside bills itself as the City of Arts & Innovation, and Tozser is confident that the city is destined to become a major arts center.

A Future in the Community

Tozser has done well for himself since going into business in 1999, and now he has four employees who do all sorts of work—abstract sculptures, wall art, ultramodern furniture, lighting systems, and occasionally some contract work such as display racks for retail stores—all of it for high-end customers. Despite his success, he still sees art as a medium rather than a business and is steadfast in his belief that art can be, and should be, a force for good.

“I have a piece that is two human forms, in two styles, made from two different steel alloys,” he said. “It’s called ‘Accept Difference.’ They’re very different from each other—one is big and one is small—and they’re abstract, but it’s easy to see that they are human forms (see photo below). They don’t have hands, so they can’t hurt each other, and the heads are very open, like open minds. People aren’t alike, and we don’t have to embrace our differences, but if we could just accept our differences and move on, the world would be a better place.”

Tozser is also active in introducing some of the local youngsters to art.

“My shop is near a residential area, and it’s not high up on the economic ladder,” he said. “I have been meeting with the city council to host a series of art days to bring in the local children, give them some watercolors, and teach them to paint. For some of these kids, it might be their first exposure to art and culture.”

It might encourage a career in art, and Tozser hopes it might be a path out of the neighborhood for some. He knows that a lifelong passion starts with inspiration, just as his shop teacher inspired him.

Louie Tozser Design, 2510 Main St., Riverside, CA 92501, 951-684-4050, louie@louietdesign.com, http://louietdesign.com