Marcia Goes To ArtPrize

Up a tree?

Not for long, I hope.

"What are you doing for ArtPrize this year?"

I will be sharing the process of reductive sculpting as one of Grand Valley State University’s exhibiting artists. A log I’ve had seasoning for over fifteen years will go through the final steps of shaping, smoothing and finishing. Meanwhile any and all visitors can try carving on chunks of soft stone and add their creative works to the collaborative assemblage of “Mini-monuments to Mother Nature.” Periodically I’ll be demonstrating working on trees and stones and discussing the age-old process of starting with something big and taking material away to reveal an inner beauty, a hidden truth.





Here’s what my beech log looks like at the moment. It began as an almost-solid cylinder that had considerable interior decay. I spent a long time in cramped conditions cleaning out the inside and then pierced through the walls. The wood is beautifully striped and colored where it has been inhabited by the microorganisms that gradually break down the hardwood and turn it back into dust and dirt.

It’s often a challenge to have room to work inside of a log. The openings offer a little better access. Maybe not everyone my age (or any?) would enjoy climbing on and crawling around inside of trees, but I find it fascinating to explore the unnoticed, untrammeled worlds of bugs and squirrels.

Already the play of light and shadow is emphasizing the dynamic contrast of textures. I’m beginning to have ideas about how it will serve to give people a chance to lean on or sit in making humans apart of the sculptural form. But it could take another direction. What do you think?

By the way, although my entry is listed as "In Progress" in the catalog, I've been calling this log the “Can-do-it Conduit” to cheer me on to finish it before ArtPrize is over. As it is evolving every day, I may need to rename it when it's clear what it is. Anybody interested in a "log-calling" contest?