2014 works

The first completed work of 2014 was.....

​UNDEFEATED 

I consider boxing to be the greatest artform and approach my art the same way.

​ I wanted to create a simple piece that defined me.

After UNDEFEATED I created an improvised piece.

To be a good improvisor is to be a great thinker, feeler, reactor. To see many steps ahead but always react to what is going on in the situation. The  ability to improvise can only be developed by doing.

I took a two inch block of poplar without a design in mind, put on John Coltrane's A Love Supreme as well as Ben Schachter's  works and many other jazz albums and created in the moment.

​The following piece emerged.

The third piece made was a cabinet.

​INDIVISIBLE

I had been wanting to make a carved door cabinet for some time when I had bought a pineapple. As much I have seen pineapples my whole life I had never truly examined the fruit compositionally nor it's history.

The pineapple exists on so many planes from the protective interlocked portion of the sweet fruit to the jazz section of the leaves.

The work was carved from two inch thick material giving me the ability to make it really pop off the background of the piece.

I framed the door with zebrawood to give exotic rich beautiful lines around the boarder then created a lush green cabinet to represent life and growth.

​MISFRAGILITY

The next work revisits the theme of a vintage bathing suit that was created in 2010. Four years later the growth of my concepts and techniques are evident in this work.

first vintage bathing suit from 2010

This work was hand carved out of two inch thick mahogany showcasing all that I had learned about carving up until then. 

Once again MISFRAGILITY shows an homage the beautiful era's of feminine bathing suits of the 1920's to 1960's while I interject playful futuristic concepts into the design.

I knew I wanted to do a play on the word MISS for the banner across the bathing suit as in MISS AMERICA. As I carved the piece it was the missing puzzle piece. At the time I knew someone immensely strong and fragile at the same time and the title reflected them. 

MISFRAGILTY is the beauty in being fragile

original sketch for MISFRAGILITY below

I ordered a special carving gouge with a small radius to do the lettering on this work.

​One of the challenges of this work was creating the hanger as realistically as possible. The wood has almost all been carved away from the back.

The rose is the only non wood part of the piece. When friend passed away it was given to me. I was standing next to the carving hanging on my wall and wanted to put it in a safe place and so it has stayed there since and truly completed the piece