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    Vince Skelly

    Vince Skelly

    1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

    Claremont, California

    2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

    Claremont is full of public art sculptures. As a kid I saw them as play structures. It’s one of the reasons that I make art that you can interact with.

    3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

    Yes. I studied visual communication in college, then began experimenting with scultpure on my free time.

    4. What led you to the design creation ?

    I couldn’t afford or find the things I wanted to display in my home, so I started making them myself.

    5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

    My influences come from the relationship between ancient building forms and their similarity to contemporary architecture and furniture
    I work in a reductive process, sculpting all my work from a single block of wood. I use a chainsaw and different hand tools. Often the wood will present something unexpected, like a large crack, and I’m forced to find a solution. I like when that happens becuase it provides spontaneity.

    6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

    There’s no typical day really. Sometimes I wake up and go collection wood from various sources around the city. Other times I go straight to the studio and start sanding or carving a piece.

    7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

    I love natural materials because of the organic connection they have with earth. Wood is interesting because the grain plays a significant role in the sculpture. It becomes the color, texture, and holds energy.

    8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

    They usually have to have a function, like a flat top fora table, or a seat.

    9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

    Look to ancient history, art and objects of everyday life for inspiration. So much of ancient work looks and feels organic, naturally.

    10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

    The Wood Age.

    11. What designers have influenced you ?

    Isamu Noguchi, JB Blunk, Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman, Henry Moore, Andre Bloc, Wharton Esherick, Mark Mills, and Alma Allen.

    12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

    Millard Sheets, Sam Maloof, Lloyd Kahn, Axel Vervoordt

    13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

    Thaddeus Mosley, Alma Allen, Josh Kermiet, Shiela Laufer,

    14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

    Wooden Sculptures of Megalithic Structures

    15. Is there anything you would like to add ?

    I believe that the mere beauty of an object is superficial and in the end it is the spirit of an object that attracts us.

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