Adam Bentz has been awarded the Honor of Distinction award at the Northwest Woodworkers Gallery’s sixth annual Rising Star Furniture Makers show.

Born on Bainbridge Island, and now living in Seattle, Bentz was given the honor for his piece Cinnamon Desk, made from cinnamon laurel burl, wenge, maple and steel.

The piece was described by the gallery as, “both playful and substantive.”

Adam’s furniture is inspired by the shapes, textures, and colors of the natural world, as well as the simple elegance of contemporary Japanese architecture.

In crafting original contemporary pieces, he enjoys experimenting with positive and negative spaces, combining wood and metals in unique and innovative ways.

“Growing up on Bainbridge Island, I fell in love with the island’s forests: cedar, Douglas fir, madrona, big-leaf maple,” Bentz said. “As a teenager I got my first experience working with wood after school and on weekends as an apprentice to local craftsman Thomas Hume. From an early age, I knew I’d found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

The work of Bentz and others featured in the Rising Star show will be on display through the end of the month.

The gallery is located at 2111 1st Ave. in Seattle, up the street from Pike Place Market in Belltown.

For more information, visit www.nwwoodgallery.com.