About Wood Sculpting

These wood sculptures were roughed out with a chain saw, carved with hand chisels and small power carving tools. Each one developed over more than a year before completion and sometimes longer. The shapes evolve over time without a pre-determined design. Each portion of the whole develops its own texture and form independently. This complicates the integration process where the parts must integrate into a cohesive finished whole.

For example, in The Pearl the armadillo-like head, flipper feet, tusk-like spiral, and the overall crescent  or base clef-like shape all developed independently over time, and seemingly with their own will to form (for lack of  better expression). The integration of the parts is a more controlled and conscious  effort, and ultimately is at the mercy of the how the independent parts formed their own texture and form which must flow in unison in the end.

The series of wood works was completed before my interests in glass came to the fore. The same themes are present that carry through all of my work today such as: the interplay between random elements within a controlled space; spherical and circular shapes; and allowing forms to evolve over time without being pre-determined by a set design.