Artist Statement - Robert Jay
I am a woodturner and sculptor residing in Collingswood, New Jersey. I began sculpting in stone in 1997 but soon found the beauty of wood too overpowering to ignore and the mystical process of turning wood on a lathe evolved into the perfect way for me to express my art.
The objective of my work is to take the remains of local trees that would otherwise be sent to the chipper or a landfill and recycle them into highly artistic wood turned art.
The focus of my work is in making artistic forms that bring out the natural beauty of the wood. By carefully choosing the right portion of a tree I can create a shape that will accentuate the most beautiful patterns within the wood. This allows me to tell the story of the tree over the years of its life by showcasing the growth rings as well as the varied grain abnormalities such as spalting, and various bug infestations by beetles which create a variety of coloration.
I lean more towards hollow forms as they are the most challenging and therefore bring me the greatest rewards as an artist.
I turn all my wood green, which is to say, wet and thereby at the conclusion of my turning I allow the tree to have the final say in the drying process which creates some one of a kind interesting shapes.