Scratching the Surface: Contemporary Wood Sculpture

The Craft & Folk Art Museum presents Scratching the Surface: Contemporary Wood Sculpture, an exhibition featuring the works of nine contemporary artists whose unique sculptural forms capitalize on the naturally occurring textures and irregularities of wood. This international selection of artists includes Christian Burchard (Oregon), Todd Hoyer (Arizona), William Hunter (California), Art Liestman (Canada), Pascal Oudet (France), George Peterson (North Carolina), Michael Peterson (Washington), Merryll Saylan (California), and Jack Slentz (New Mexico). The exhibition is curated by Ray Leier in association with del Mano Gallery.

Using both machine-cut and natural surfaces, each of these artists shares a proclivity for working with the grain of wood by reworking its surface via sawing, bleaching, sandblasting, and exposing surfaces to rain, sunlight, and dry heat. Their carving methods range from using the lathe to produce refined shapes, to using chainsaws for unpredictable abstract forms. Relying on a balance of approximation and accident, some of the artists are able to envision how the final artwork will look, while others let the material itself reveal the finished piece.