Wood art can unleash artists' creativity. Photo illustration by Alec Damiano.A biennial is defined as something that takes place every two years.
Two years ago, I was slaving over my high school senior project. I had decided to construct an electric violin without any prior experience in carpentry. To finish the product, I relied on an ever-changing cast of uncles, family friends with various saws, instrument repairmen and orchestra teachers. But it got done.
Two years later: I’m in a brightly-lit gallery, weaving around crowds of mingling wine-sipping elites to steal a glimpse and snap a photograph of the next available figurine.
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the Tempe Center for the Arts opened an exhibition featuring works made of and inspired by wood—the Wood Biennial.
"Coyote Skull (posterior)." Photo courtesy of Alexandra Bowers.I was simply floored by the creativity of the pieces. I had trouble carving a piece of oak into a reasonably simple shape (at least by the standard of this artwork), and these 24 artists had gone above and beyond in working with this medium.
One piece that immediately stood out to me was wood burning “Coyote Skull (posterior)” by Tempe-based woodsmith and Sun Devil alumna, Alexandra Bowers.
Bowers revealed her deepest inspirations:
Art Murmur: Why wood? Why does this particular medium interest you? What are the pros & cons of working with it compared to other mediums (clay, metal, etc)?
Alexandra Bowers: I am interested in working with wood because of the aesthetic components created when burning an image into the surface. I am also attracted to the natural/organic quality of this particular medium and its inherent patterns and textures rather than working on canvas or other man-made surfaces. Before burning into a piece I always examine the pattern on the surface and then determine where I want to place the image. One of the biggest limitations of working with this material has to do with the permanence of the process itself—once the image is burned into the surface there is no going back.
AM: When did you first start showing your works at exhibitions? Did you have any mentors?
AB: I first started showing my work in exhibitions only a couple of years ago. During my junior and senior years at ASU I worked really hard at taking advantage of a lot of opportunities that are presented to art students while they are still in school, one of them being the ability to put together a solo exhibition at a gallery on campus. I went through the whole application process and was granted my first solo show at ASU’s Step Gallery last April. Throughout my entire education at ASU I met a lot of really encouraging and supportive people. One in particular is Jerry Schutte who has been my biggest mentor thus far, and is someone I will continue to seek out advice from as my career progresses.
AM: What advice do you have for an aspiring artist who might be interested in working with wood?
AB: I think that it’s a personal heartfelt decision what kind of medium you decide you want to continually work with. If a person were to choose to work with wood, I would recommend investing in its type and quality. When I first started out, I would by scrap wood from Home Depot, which was nice to practice on; however, I suffered the consequences later by ruining my wood burning tools and having finished artwork on unsatisfying pieces of wood.
Bowers will be showcasing her work at Practical Art in downtown Phoenix in January. Until then, you can see more of her work on her website and visit the exhibition, which will be open until January 5.
For the Tempe Center for the Arts event calendar, click here.
Do you know of any interesting art or entertainment you’d like me to cover? Tweet me at @DamianoAlec or email me at Alec.Damiano@asu.edu. To see some of my artwork, click here.
