ROCKPORT — As far as an art medium goes, wood is a lousy choice. It's forever changing with the weather - moving, cracking and checking. It has a tendency to rot, and it's not exactly easy to manipulate.
But in Maine, there's plenty of wood to work with, and despite its many inconveniences and inconsistencies, wood has had a long hold on the art world.
A new exhibition in the Messler Gallery at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport offers a small but revealing glimpse into the world of wood art today.
The exhibition, "Contemporary Maine Carving," includes the work of 18 carvers, each with a distinct vision and all united by their desire to begin their creations with a solid block.
"Our primary parameter was that it would include only things that were carved and not assembled," says carver Steve Lindsay of Tenants Harbor, who curated the show at the request of the center's director, Peter Korn.
"All of the people in the show work from a solid block and do reductive work. There's no laminating, no building up. The idea was that the point of departure had to be carving from a block of wood, and we obviously wanted to show people who were working in Maine today."
Korn opted to pursue the show because he wanted his students and the general public to think of wood in ways other than for its apparent application as a medium for furniture.
"We're primarily a furniture-making school, that's true. But in some ways, we're a fine woodworking school, as well. Wood turning and wood carving are part of a furniture-maker's language. So my idea was to show the best carving among contemporary Maine carvers, among all genres," he says.
The exhibition is remarkable for its diversity. The carvers used chisels and chain saws, producing pieces that range from figurative to abstract, wildlife to folk.
Some of the artists are at the top of their fields with international acclaim. Others are little known carvers, who whittle quietly away far from the spotlight.
Laurie Stearns of Brunswick has two works in the exhibition, a large sunflower and a small ladyslipper, both carved from basswood and both remarkable for their detail - a nod, perhaps, to Stearns' interest in biology.
Stanley Neptune and Joe Dana of the Penobscot Indian Nation submitted traditional war clubs, and Dana also carved a Penobscot snow snake, which Indian kids used to use in winter games.
Rodney Richard of Rangeley, who has exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution, offered a series of tiny woodsmen, each holding a finely crafted tool common in the traditional methods of wood harvesting.
Valdemar Skov of Waldoboro has a small sample of the detailed carving he completed when he created the podium in use at the Capitol in Augusta.
Gordon Bok, an instrument maker and boat builder from Camden, carved a loose rendering of a man climbing in the bobstays of his sailboat.
Don Meserve of Round Pond, who is best known for his stone carvings, has an arresting piece called "St. Ignatius of Loyola," a rough form of a human body carved from black walnut. Meserve tacked on a leather cape, and mounted the piece on four small wheels, which he then placed on a slab of marble.
Jacques Vesery of Damariscotta carved two small shell-like forms from cherry, then lined their innards with gold leaf and sterling silver. They are intricate and spellbinding, a testament to the artist's concern for detail.
But perhaps the piece with the biggest impact is from Clark Fitz-Gerald, who died at age 87 just before the show opened. From an old elm log, 40 inches in diameter, Fitz-Gerald carved a looping, horn-like sculpture that he called "Tickler."
Lindsay chose the piece for two reasons. Fitz-Gerald was a legendary carver, and the show would not be complete without something from him. Just as significant, "Tickler" shows the imperfections and challenges of wood. It's forever checked and flawed, but oftentimes in beautiful ways that speak to the medium's artfulness.
Many carvers would have stayed away from the elm, which is notoriously hard, heavy and difficult to work with. But Fitz-Gerald's carving revealed its natural character, Lindsay said.
"More than any other piece, this one shows the power of the tree," says Lindsay.
Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:
bkeyes@pressherald.com
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