Romulo Chanduvi is a Peruvian who has established himself as a successful woodworking and furniture-making artist in East Hartford, Connecticut since getting his green card in 1992. Romulo’s designs have attracted high-profile collectors in the North East and more recently his craftsmanship skills were showcased in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Romulo specialises in traditional woodcarving work in the Spanish/Inca style which he learned while growing up in Lima, Peru. He apprenticed in private workshops; one in Argentina and another in Switzerland. He also taught furniture making under the AID Program of the United Nations in Peru, and gained more experience through apprenticeships and workshops in Panama.
Romulo’s workshop is located on Charles Street and is equipped with various woodworking tools, vises, drills, and hundreds of chisels that Romulo has honed to hand-carve intricate details. He also uses these tools to transform logs of exotic woods into extraordinary pieces of furniture. Romulo prides himself on building furniture pieces with authentic joining techniques of the appropriate period using all-natural stains, resins, bee waxes, shellacs, and varnishes.
Romulo has made a name for himself with his unique designs that blend Spanish and Incan styles of craftsmanship. He was featured in important exhibitions such as the Institute for Community Research touring exhibit Living Legends: Connecticut Master Traditional Artists, the Wadsworth Atheneum’s installation of Faith and Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterworks, and was also featured in a Home Living Connecticut magazine article. He even has his own website, www.romulochanduvi.com.
Romulo believes that his success has been a result of hard work and perseverance, but largely attributed his achievements to the support he received from his family, friends, and mentors; he believes that without these people in his life helping and supporting him, he wouldn’t have been able to build his career to such a high standard.
Posted by CT Historical Society on 2020-01-22 16:53:21