"Repose Revisited" at Wilderstein Historic Site

Repose Revisited  locust logs, metal leaf, crocheted wire   dimensions variable   View 1

Repose Revisited   View 2

I use wood from the Widlerstein site to create “Repose Revisited”. The wood is from a locust tree that had been growing in front of the Wilderstein home for many decades, perhaps centuries. The tree bore witness to the changing landscape and people who inhabit it. This sculpture allows the cut tree to continue to be a part of its original environment, for a time, taking in more of the environs and exuding the history contained therein.

I arrange the locust logs to at first appear as if they are randomly fallen. The viewer happens upon the work as an unexpected cache and discovers the logs are deliberately placed and significantly altered. The scars and flaws in the wood have been embellished and celebrated with gold leaf and crocheted wire. The cut ends have a patina of metal leaf emphasizing their shape. 

Locust is considered to be a strong wood which is very resistant to decay. It is said that locust lasts “one year less than stone”. Although a strong wood, the original tree had been dying from age and disease and had to be felled. The passage of time and the effects of weather continue to act on the sculpture constantly and gradually changing it. “Repose Revisited” celebrates history, the passage of time, imperfection and mortality.

WILDERSTEIN HISTORIC SITE
4th Outdoor Sculpture Biennial

Come see 18 amazing sculptures gracing Wilderstein's landscape by a diverse group of Hudson Valley artists. Curated by FRANC PALAIA, work on display encompasses a wide range of styles and mediums. The show will be open to the public daily, 9am to 4pm, June 3 through October 31. 

Featured Artists:

MICHAEL ASBILL * JODI CARLSON * DAVE CHANNON * JOE CHIRCHIRILLO * MICHAEL CICCONE * MIMI CZAJKA GRAMINSKI * CARL GRIECO * TOM HOLMES * JEFF JOHNSON * BERNARD KLEVICKAS * ALEX KVETON * NORM MAGNUSSON * DAVID NYZIO * SHELLEY PARRIOTT * PETER SCHLEMOWITZ * HERMAN ROGGESON SUPRINA * NAOMI TEPPICH

 

 About Wilderstein

Wilderstein Historic Site is a house museum in Rhinebeck, New York. The estate, with its exquisite Queen Anne mansion and Calvert Vaux designed landscape, is widely regarded as the Hudson Valley's most important example of Victorian architecture. Tours, gift shop, hiking trails, and spectacular Hudson River views.