A bit about my method; The wood artwork is made from solid kiln dried eastern white pine from my native Canadian forests. I prefer the open, varied grain of pine, it absorbs color very well and it is also lighter in weight, which becomes important when it comes to hanging and shipping my art. And since it is art that I am producing, rather than furniture to be knocked about, I look for personality and color potential rather than simple hardness. Color plays such an important role in my work, and I mix colors that I feel work well to show the beauty of the wood and often I use a more transparent stain to allow the wood’s character to come through.
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I begin with an idea; I then draw it and expand on the drawing to the scale I have determined that the piece will be. I am then ready to create my image in wood. A foundation or starting piece is cut, and the artwork simply, or not so simply, builds from that point. I have designed and built everything from houses to armoires, learning every step of the way, and I love to draw on that experience to overcome the challenges I encounter when creating this artwork. I find it necessary to always be aware of the amount of relief that I am creating in any one art piece, as I believe that there is a fine line between too much relief, which would appear weighty or chunky, and the uneventfulness of too little projection. A good deal of my work is brightly colored, and vibrant. But certain settings call for monotone works or perhaps something subliminally earth tone, I’ve also used old weathered wood as is, and I really like the effect. Regardless of color, once all the wood preparation is done, the color is applied with oil based wood stains and a sealing coat of lacquer is applied. The art is sanded, lacquered again and then this process is repeated 2 or 3 more times. |
Every piece I create is done in the same hand crafted manner; there is no quick method of duplication that I can employ. I will create an original work of art, and if I feel that the piece could be developed further, I will re- visit my original idea, changing people, expressions, clothing or color. I enjoy creating these 'series' as I can streamline the design time needed, while modifying and experimenting on certain aspects to evolve that area. |
