Sculpture
Mary Spitzer, Room 301e
Come Together Over Me
A slab of cherry wood, 20” x 18” x 3” thick from a friend’s childhood farm sat in my studio for about 5 years, waiting for its moment. After I chipped away the rough and dirty surfaces with a mallet and chisel, long streaks of pink and green grain and dark red branch markings became obvious. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon. My only concern at that moment was not to mess it up.
My work is informed by many sources- the color and density of logs and tree branches, the shapes of found objects, and their history and whether they have been broken or not. Added to this palette of influences are my thoughts and emotions which consciously and unconsciously roam around my studio where my wood is stacked on shelves like volumes in a library, next to my tools hanging on other racks, metal gouges of various curvature and finally pieces of unfinished sculptures waiting to be resolved into an idea.
For the last few years themes of the damaged environment and the unrecognized people who lived before us have begun to be seen and appreciated in our society. My piece of sculpture, “ Canyon Rim”, that has emerged from the gorgeous cherry slab is a memorial piece and a celebratory piece about this moment as we look over that canyon of history.
