Daily Art Muse » Wood

kimberly willcox’s transformation and a damuse giveaway

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:35:28 +0000

Kimberly Willcox is no stranger to transformation. An artist who creates three dimensional objects from reclaimed materials, she skillfully transforms the discarded into the collected. Several years ago, after a devastating hurricane and a drawn out professional crisis threatened to destroy her career, Willcox also reinvented herself and began making the one of a kind sculptures she is known for today.

Group of Story Poles, recycled materials
Small 32”-45” Medium 42”-52” Large 50”-60”

“I thought of the splintered cypress staves as a metaphor for the destruction and chaos caused by natural disaster. I was at once consumed with the idea of transforming the metaphor from one of sadness to one of rebirth and resurrection. The weathered pieces of wood have now grown into kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal.”

Heart of Gold, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, stone, steel, brass, 28″ x 8″ x 8″

The Stave sculptures pictured here were created from 72 wooden staves that were once the barrel of a water tower on her property, destroyed by Hurricane Frances. Willcox describes them as “kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal”.

Hello Girl, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, steel, 22” X 32” X 8”

Ironically, Willcox now shares a common history with her figures. Last month the artist’s studio sustained massive damage in an electrical fire. I read about the fire and through a Facebook contact I was able to get in touch with Kimberly to see if there was a way we could help. Speaking to her it became clear that she has a strong will, the spirit of a warrior and a powerful drive to make art. Please visit her website to see more of the Staves sculptures and many other portfolios.

Kimberly Willcox in her booth at Ann Arbor, Michigan, before news of the fire

When we spoke, she shared the upside of this latest challenge: her sculptures were spared because she was at a show in Ann Arbor when the fire tore through the Florida studio – she had most of her inventory with her. She also told me that no matter what happens, her creativity can never be taken from her - not by a hurricane, not by the hand of unscrupulous business people and not by a fire. Strong woman. Wonderful artist. Powerful spirit.

daMuse Giveaway

I’m giving away $150.00 worth of books to one person. Keep reading to find out how to enter this giveaway…

Insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost to replace the machines and tools Willcox and partner (in life and art) Kevin Nordhausen lost in the fire.

You can help. Make a donation (click here) to help Kimberly replace some of her machines and tools so that she can get back to work.

In July, an electrical fire destroyed Willcox’s Florida studio

After you make a donation toward Kimberly’s machines and tools (right here), come back and leave a comment on this post to let me know that you made a donation. That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway.

You can find a list of the books in the giveaway package here.

The comments on this post will remain open until Sunday, August 22, 2010 at Midnight (EST). I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and I will announce the winner on Monday, August 23, 2010.

Give $5 if that’s all you have. Give more if you can. Every little bit helps. Spread the word. Share this post on your Facebook page, add a link to it on your blog, email the post to your friends. Together we can help get Kimberly back to work making art.

Beep, Beep, cypress, bronze, steel, 31″ X 23″ X 8”

Donate HERE
List of books in giveaway package HERE

by simplifying forms, jack r. slentz highlights their beauty

Susan Lomuto — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:21:59 +0000

Jack R. Slentz began his career as a ceramicist, later turning to wood with a torch and a chainsaw to create bold sculptures that aim to simplify natural and man-made forms.

Door Way, Madrone Burl
28.5” x 21” x 3.5”

He draws from shapes such as manhole covers, trees, seed pods, spears and shields. Influenced by the sense of rhythm and movement implied by their surface textures and patterns, he leads us into a deeper exploration of the basic shapes by carving, cutting, scorching and piecing them together.

Stitch Me Up, Bay laurel burl
15” x 14” x 3”

“The Disk shapes that I have used are a reflection of my infatuation with manhole covers, mushroom caps, abstract forms, and the cyclic nature of life.” Jack R. Slentz, Associate Professor of Sculpture, The School of Arts and Design, Santa Fe Community College

Four Parts of the Whole
Ash, lathe-turned, carved, sandblasted, bleached, India inked, 3” x 17 1/2” x 17 1/2”
Permanent collection of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design.

Four Parts of the Whole, detail

Positive Negative Tube – White Recycled plywood and wire
14” x 24” x 14”

“A number of the pieces I make represent a duality or struggle within the self where one can be loving, caring, and nurturing and at the same time mean, hateful, and destructive. This reflects the love, hate dichotomy, which is the backbone of much of my work. As one of my collectors once said, “your work has a sort of — from hell and back quality”, which I agree is my visual representation of life’s struggle.”

For the Tube Series, an intriguing collection of puzzle-like structures, Slentz often used recycled plywood. In addition to wood, the artist also works with rubber and metal from road signs. He has work in the permanent collections of several museums and has dedicated a page on his website with images of the museum pieces – every artist who has work in museums should consider doing this. Makes a powerful statement.

george peterson: recycled skateboard sculpture

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:56:06 +0000

Self-taught sculptor George Peterson is a lifelong skateboarder. In Peterson’s most recent Lingo series he carves, burns and paints discarded skateboards, transforming the modern icon into primitive shield-like sculptures. I was struck by the way a grouping of boards can make a powerful statement on a wall.

Lingo, reclaimed skateboards, carved, painted, waxed

As I’ve mentioned before on DAM, every now and then when I first come across an artist’s work through thumbnail images my perception of the work is entirely different than the reality. This was the case with Peterson’s skateboards. At first glance I assumed I was looking at brooches and then quickly realized they were sculptures. I like the idea of translating these primitive shapes and designs into jewelry.

Lingo, reclaimed skateboards, carved, painted, waxed

The Lingo series is Peterson’s first attempt at using all recycled wood. Most of his sculpts, like Moonrise (seen below), are created from whole logs using chainsaws, hammers, chisels and fire axes.

Moonrise

For me, the adventure and challenge of sculpting lies in focusing on the natural tension and drama I find in the wood, and in contrasting and complimenting that drama with my expressive mark as an artist. I channel a lot of destructive energy into my art. George Peterson

unno eriko’s mixed materials

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:04:57 +0000

I couldn’t find much information about Japan’s Unno Eriko, but the artist certainly knows how to transform sterling silver, 18k gold, wood veneer and cassette tape into delicate contemporary jewelry. Happy Monday.

Necklace, cassette tape

Neckpiece, wood, 18k gold

Neckpiece – gold or silver?

Earrings, cassette tape, sterling silver

Bracelets, cassette tape

Bracelet, wood, brass

Brooch, sterling silver

gustav reyes: simply wood rings

Susan Lomuto — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:24:47 +0000

Gustav Reyes salvages wood – from the neck of a violin, or a young boy’s baseball bat or the keys of a xylophone - and skillfully transforms the wood into rings – wedding rings, engagement rings, anniversary rings, rings that celebrate nature, life, love. Sensitive to the history of each piece, Reyes’ strives to “bring out the warmth and the honesty of the wood.” He has two websites – you can find them here and here.

Come back late this afternoon for my final post of the week – see you then!

The Purple Key, Ash, Maple and Rosewood from a xylophone key

Ring, Bog Oak and concrete inlay

The Key, Ash, Maple and Rosewood from a salvaged xylophone key

fritz dietel: wood chips and epoxy

Susan Lomuto — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:42:33 +0000

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.

livio de marchi’s world of wood

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:44:28 +0000

I’m nursing a moving related injury – that’s why I wasn’t around yesterday. Muscles and nerves and all of the other things that get tweaked when you move…in stages…for weeks. I’m off to have it looked at – while I’m gone enjoy Livio De Marchi’s world.

Painter’s Bag, Walnut wood, 14 x 21 x 13″

Raincoat With Magazine, Walnut wood, 69″ x 22″

The Venetian artist began sculpting as a child, eventually studying at an art school in his hometown of Venice, first with marble, then bronze and finally wood, a medium that has allowed De Marchi to show his sense of humor and creativity with a degree of warmth and accessibility that was missing from the other materials he worked with.

Gloves

De Marchi in one of the rooms in the House of Books sculpted by the artist

Venice is a city that does not allow cars. However, the master craftsman found a way around this when he sculpted a Ferrari car/boat to carry him across the canals. The Ferrari is one of several full sized vehicles that De Marchi has sculpted and each one is an exact replica of the real thing down to the most minute detail. Watch De Marchi drive his carboat in the video below.

Mostly Glass has several images of De Marchi’s House of Books. Click on each thumbnail for a larger picture.

Watch DeMarchi at work in his studio in this video. Make sure you set the video to HQ for this one.

Another short clip of the artist at work.

Mostly Glass has a comprehensive listing of his work. Scroll down towards the bottom of the page for links to several pages of images.

Even more here.

joey richardson lets wood speak for itself

Susan Lomuto — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:07:49 +0000

Joey Richardson has been turning wood for almost two decades, studying under Chris Stott, Stuart Mortimer, Trent Bosch, David Nittman and Binh Pho along the way, honing her skills and developing a style of her own. Richardson is a fine example of an artist who has found a strong voice, even as traces of the teacher’s influence remains evident.

Seed of Love, 6″, Sycamore, pierced, airbrushed, acrylic paint

The turned and pierced sculptures are bursting with color, pattern and texture – a joy to look at from any angle – front, back, above, inside and out – with graceful curves and layered elements that draw you close and surprising details that pull you further into her hybrid-organic world of wood.

Romeo, sycamore, acrylic, 7″x6″

Mad

“Professionally I feel very fortunate to be a female in what is essentially a man’s world of wood turning. My style incorporates both the more feminine – the delicate and beautiful – and the more masculine – the big and bold. Combined, these two aspects fully encapsulate and make the most striking use of wood’s tactile beauty.” Joey Richardson

Olli

“For too long wood has played a supportive role to art in the form of canvas, paper and frames. Let wood now speak for itself.” Joey Richardson

Kismet

Read an article about the artist in the Chicago Fine Arts Examiner

More detailed images of Richardson’s most recent work at delMano Gallery

More wood art here

bud latven: beauty in form

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:43:58 +0000

Bud Latven has been working with wood since 1972, when he first learned how to make cabinets and furniture. In the early 1980’s he made the shift from furniture maker to lathe-turned artist, and when work by this self-taught artist landed on the cover of Fine Woodworking magazine in 1985 his career was catapulted to a national level. Today Latven continues to push the envelope with his evolving interpretation of the turned vessel.

Bocote Torsion, Bocote, 18 1/2″ x 13 1/2″ x 18 1/2″

Dancing Impact 3, Cocobolo, Tiger Maple, 21″ x 26″

Hyperboloid 3, Canary Wood, Massacar Ebony, 24″ x 19″

Hyperboloid 3, alternate view

While the full portfolio is on his website, the images are almost too small and don’t do the work justice. A better way to view Latven’s work is at delMano Gallery.

lucker and wood’s mechanical pictures

Susan Lomuto — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:37:40 +0000

In 1987, armed with degrees in sculpture and printmaking from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Ann Wood and Dean Lucker began creating mechanical sculptures that require the viewer’s participation to bring the art to life. Lucker and Wood’s Mechanical Pictures and Dexterity Games are a sheer delight for the perpetually curious. Art that moves – that engages me in the process – is infinitely appealing.

You Are Amazing, 7.5″ x 6″ x 1″,
archival paper and ink, wooden back, plexiglass front and printed paper sides

[When the lever is pressed down, the young lady places a card on top of the stack of cards and the message "You Are Amazing" is revealed]

Catching The Moon

[This piece is about a tender acknowledgment of the larger cycles we all live in. When the lever is lifted up, the moon drops down as the woman's arm lifts to greet the moon]

In addition to their collaborative work, the website showcases their individual art, which is equally impressive. Wood works with the unlikely combination of dyed eggshells and seed beads to create her paintings, and Lucker carves his figures from wood and resin, adding electrical motors to the mix to create blooming flowers, spinning fortune wheels and automated figures.

Leaking Moon, 40″ x 12″ x 10″

Swan and Balloon, 34″ x 34″ x 2″, egg shells, seed beads

During the past five years, I have created dense surfaces made of dyed, cracked egg shells and seed beads hand set with surgical tweezers. It is my intention to make beautiful, personal images which describe a powerful spirit in a mysterious manner. By jumping through time and choosing figures of differing ages, I hope to make a physiological imprint of my life’s story. Ann Wood

This short clip shows one of Lucker’s sculptures in action. I turned the sound off when I watched it – the mechanics were noisy – the only shortcoming to this interesting body of work.