Sculptural Artwork
This page focuses on my free-standing wood sculptures. These pieces arise in two ways. In one, I begin with pencil and paper, sketching out shapes and trying out forms. Sometimes I have in mind a certain type of fossil or mineral that inspires me (e.g., an ammonite or fossil fish), and I create around those objects. In executing these designs, I often used milled wood with straight edges, and glue boards together in order to obtain the appropriate dimensions. The resulting wood block becomes the canvas, and I often use fairly detailed plans and templates to rough out the carving. Of course, final shaping and detailed carving is always done freehand, and I often sketch these elements directly on the wood to guide my efforts. In some cases, I will use wood dyes, pigments, and glazes to “pop” the carved elements or to emphasize an edge. Examples include “Coral Sculpture”, “Ancient Icon", Mammoth Flowers", "Palm Flowers" and “Earth Mother." In a second method, the wood becomes my primary motivation, and I carefully work to design around pre-existing grain patterns, colors and textures occurring within the wood itself. Before starting anything, I examine the wood periodically, often over several weeks, in an attempt to see underlying patterns and forms that make that particular wood piece unique and striking. In these cases, the woods I choose have highly figured grains with rich colors and depth, such as Maple and Amboyna burls, and I prefer woods not milled on the edges that present a natural (or “live”) edge. In executing these designs, I usually do not use templates and rely completely on freehand carving. I carefully apply finish to the carving, usually Shellac, which I feel optimally brings out color and grain pattern in most woods. Examples include “Blooming”, “Ammonite”, and “Sea Fan.”
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