Artist Statement
As a metal sculptor, I design and create natural and painted pieces using a variety of metals including steel, copper, found objects, old farm machinery and natural fibers. The sculptures are shaped, cut, bent, bolted or welded to bring imagination back into our lives. I enjoy taking the industrial feel of steel and creating the image of flowing and carefree movement.
Drawing from the natural landscape, many of my sculptures have a warm and rusted finish. I bend eighth inch steel using my own strength to create a fluid motion so the sculptures move in the breeze. I find that the metal will tell me which direction it will flow, so occasionally I have to free my mind from the predetermined direction of a bend and follow the steel's will. Reflecting back to my boyhood memories of working on the farm, I enjoy incorporating old farm machinery parts into my sculptures as well. Although steel is often seen as rigid and industrial, my sculptures are at home when placed on the farm or in the garden.
I feel much joy from listening to the viewer express their opinions of what the sculpture represents to them. Even for those pieces that are clearly representational, the viewer has a reaction that shows their imagination at work.
I love getting involved with the sculptures. When I created "Burning Desire Within" I actually climbed inside the sculpture to twist the metal to the final shape. I wrapped my arms around each extension and became one with the sculpture. Each adjustment brought it closer to the feeling I wanted to achieve. I am still growing as an artist, but I have already achieved great satisfaction in creating pieces that invoke the imaginations of others.
Life is too short not to laugh. - Peter Wood
