Our Contemporary Greenwood exhibit is now on display in the Messler Gallery, through January 2, 2020. This exhibit showcases woodworkers who harvest their materials from freshly felled trees, while both wood and bark are green and pliable. In their own words, below, the artisans express their relationships with crafting in greenwood.
Image: Folded Lowback by Peter Galbert
“Much of my work relies upon wood from freshly felled trees. Working with Green wood benefits the process as well as the chair that results. The wet wood splits and shaves cleanly along the fibers and is soft enough to work rapidly with hand tools.” – Peter Galbert
Image: Little Throne by Dave Chapman
“The inherent strength and flexibility of the willows allow me to create elegant and playful works with flowing transparent surfaces whose underlying structures become part of the design, rather than something to be hidden.” – Dave Chapman
Image: Nobody’s Perfect by Jennifer Zurick
“I aspire to create simple, elegant vessels that possess a richness of spirit and a presence embodying the soul of the tree from which they came.” – Jennifer Zurick
Image: Ale Hens by Mike Loeffler
“This is a collection of fågelskålår or bird bowls. In their traditional use these bowls were ceremonial drinking vessels delivering ale to thirsty mouths in times of celebration.” – Mike Loeffler
Image: Wagatabon Tray, Tea Box Shrink Pot, and Flower Vase Shrink Pots by Jarrod Dahl
“Greenwood and working with our hands connects us directly to raw natural materials. These items were made from trees that grew near my home and workshop in Ashland, Wisconsin.” – Jarrod Dahl
Image: Willow Table by Clifton Monteith
“The harvest of the materials I use depletes few resources. It even encourages replacement growth. Pursuing natural materials has led my work in many directions around the world, ways of working, and appreciation of the organic medium available to us.” – Clifton Monteith
Image: Walnut Hen Bowl by Dave Fisher
“Green woodworking can imply more than just a general notion of working wood that is still relatively fresh with a high moisture content. Among other things, the term connotes the idea of working with nature, sensitively considering the unique attributes of each bit of tree.” – Dave Fisher
Image: Calmo by Polly Adams Sutton
“There is no preconceived notion of a shape when I begin a piece, as I allow the materials to take form where they will.” – Polly Adams Sutton
Image Left: After the Tempest by Christian Burchard Image Right: Iglesia by Christian Burchard
“I have been working with wood for most of my life. At times I am awed by its beauty and the story of its history, the tracks that the passing of time have left.” – Christian Burchard
