john-shoneman-nc-b-1949-i-tiptoe-table-i
Lot 2155

John Shoneman (NC, b. 1949), Tiptoe Table

Lot Details & Additional Photographs
2025, painted steel, unsigned, constructed from salvaged parts, including six red-painted steel hosiery forms, industrial steel frame, with inset glass top.

30 x 63 1/4 x 27 1/4 in.

Collection of the Artist, Efland, North Carolina

John Shoneman’s journey from dishwasher to self-taught carpenter and builder to construction company owner to craftsman and artist was documented in a 2017 article in the The News of Orange County. In Hillsborough, Shoneman is known as the man who “has touched practically every historical house,” restoring old buildings and homes, block by block, throughout the town over the course of 30 years. John attended UNC Chapel Hill on a tennis scholarship, and received a degree in Psychology there. He would soon find a passion for crafting with his hands and building. Small contracting jobs around town eventually lead to important local historic restoration and building projects under his company, Dovetail Construction.

Today, Shoneman is retired from his construction business, but he spends much of his free time designing art pieces from salvaged materials. His work blurs the line between utility and storytelling, where each piece is a unique assemblage of history, character, and creative vision.

Good condition; minor surface marks and scratches to metal.