It All Begins Here

FLOATING STONE WOODWORKS, owned and operated by artist and craftsman Michael Pietragalla, is a custom furniture shop in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We specialize in hand-crafted tables, bookcases, consoles, case pieces and benches. ​Every piece of furniture is built and finished individually. Joints are precision cut and hand-fitted. Finishes are hand-rubbed oil and varnish, or French polished shellac. Each piece is signed and dated. We use highly figured hardwoods sourced from FSC certified dealers who buy only from managed, renewable forests - quarter-sawn white oak, cherry, maple and walnut. ​Because the pieces are individually made, dimensions may be altered to suit your requirements. You may select the wood for your piece, and we do our best to work with you in scheduling a piece for a special gift or occasion. Located in Space 406 at Hatch Street Studios, 88 Hatch Street in New Bedford.. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Evenings and weekends by appointment. Phone: 508.997.1079 Email: FloatingStone@comcast.net Website: www.floatingstonewoodworks.com Instagram: @floating_stone_woodworks Facebook: Facebook.com/Floating-Stone-Woodworks Katrina Carmo, Realtor: 401-374-5075 #realestate#KatrinaCarmo#LocalLens#LocalBusiness#FloatingStoneWoodworks

Aug 14, 2024

Catherine creates colorful abstract paintings, collages, and works on paper inspired by calligraphic marks, textile weaves, and natural lines such as branches and roots. Her artwork has been displayed at a variety of venues including the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Marin County Museum of Contemporary Art, and the United States Embassies in Oman and Cameroon through the Art In Embassies Program. Her work is held in such collections as the Boston Public Library, the Four Seasons Hotel, and the University Club in Boston. More about Catherine Carter: Catherine Carter is an artist and art educator. She runs an art school from her studio at Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford, offering classes to children and professional development courses to teachers. Here she also creates colorful, nature-inspired abstract paintings for sale to corporate, hospitality, and private settings. Catherine earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from UMass Dartmouth, then taught at the college level for 21 years. Her artwork has been collected by the Boston Public Library and the Four Seasons Hotel, and exhibited at the United States Embassies in Cameroon and Oman through the Art In Embassies Program. In this video, Catherine explains the influence of Nature in her paintings and the ways that teaching has inspired her studio practice. For more information, visit: Art School Website: https://www.catherinecarterpainting.com/ Artist Website: https://www.catherinecarterfineart.com/

Feb 21, 2019

Tour of Sculptor Erik Durant's studio in New Bedford, MA. For more info visit: www.erikdurant.com

Apr 29, 2026

Michelle T. Lapointe, also known as The Glass Connector, is a stained glass artist, painter, and photographer based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Working from the historic mill environment of New Bedford, her practice centers on original stained-glass creations that transform color, light, and structure into intimate visual experiences. Her work reflects both craftsmanship and personal expression, using glass not only as a material but as a way to connect memory, place, and atmosphere. Through her studio practice, Lapointe continues the long tradition of glass art while bringing it into a contemporary, deeply personal language. Her pieces invite viewers to look closely at how light changes what we see, turning everyday space into something luminous, reflective, and quietly emotional.

Apr 30, 2026

Michael Pietragalla is an artist, craftsman, and furniture maker based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He owns and operates Floating Stone Woodworks, a custom furniture studio specializing in handcrafted tables, bookcases, consoles, benches, case pieces, and restoration work. Each piece is individually built, signed, and dated, using carefully selected hardwoods such as quarter-sawn white oak, cherry, maple, and walnut. Pietragalla’s path began in fine art. He earned a BFA in painting from the Swain School of Design in 1972, later worked as a carpenter, and became involved in set design and construction for theater groups across southern New England. After studying at Massachusetts College of Art, he taught photography and graphic design to inner-city youth before turning more fully toward finish carpentry and furniture making. Since 1997, Pietragalla has created custom furniture from his studio in New Bedford. His work reflects a blend of classical studio training, architectural thinking, and Asian design sensibilities. He is especially drawn to tables, which he describes almost as small buildings: legs as posts, aprons as rafters, and the tabletop as a roof. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and is held in private collections throughout the United States.

Apr 27, 2026

Kim Barry is a Massachusetts-based painter, potter, sculptor, and art educator whose work is deeply shaped by the coastal landscape of the South Coast. Based in Mattapoisett, MA, with a studio at Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford, Barry draws inspiration from nature, especially shells, gardens, flowers, fruit, and the changing atmosphere of the seaside environment. Her paintings combine close observation with an expressive, emotional response to the natural world, often transforming organic forms into images that suggest gesture, memory, sensuality, female strength, and the vitality of life. Barry holds a BFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Alongside her studio practice, she has had a long career in arts education, including serving as Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at CATS Academy Boston, where she helped establish the department and taught drawing, painting, AP art courses, fashion, and art history. Her professional affiliations include TAG The Art Gallery in SOWA Boston, the Providence Art Club, South Coast Artists, Westport Art Group, Marion Art Center, Gallery X, and the New Bedford Art Museum. She is also the owner of Clay Trout Pottery in Mattapoisett, where she creates custom plant containers and sculpted tile. Through painting, pottery, sculpture, and teaching, Barry’s practice reflects a sustained commitment to material exploration, coastal ecology, and the expressive power of the natural world.