fritz dietel: wood chips and epoxy

Steaming strips and chips of wood and bending them over constructed forms that are later removed, Fritz Dietel borrows techniques from boat and bridge building to create sculptures that celebrate repetition in form, nature as a springboard for design and the possibility of elegance from humble materials.

Fracture, pine and pigmented epoxy, 40 x 38 x 40

Champignon, pine, cedar and pigmented epoxy, 73 x 42 x 42

Torso, pine and pigmented epoxy, 35 x 17 x 12

The artist, who considers himself part scientist, engineer, artist and inventor, feels most comfortable alone in his studio or in the woods, where he patiently constructs each sculpture using pigmented epoxy. After working with wood for twenty years, Dietel recently made a shift to handmade paper. Watch this interview as he demonstrates and explains his latest work with a new medium.