Welcome to Stone Canvas
Woodworking
Inspiring rock images recreated in a unique form of wood art
Artist Statement: Ryan Huseby
The inspiration for almost all of my artwork comes from rock art of the ancients; particularly from the
Americas
, Africa, and the sculptures of ancient
Scandinavia
and Celtic cultures. More specifically, I am referring to the areas such as the central
United States
around the
Colorado
,
Utah
,
Arizona
, and
New Mexico
regions. What originally got me interested in the subject of ancient cultures and the visual work that they created was my job at
Mesa
Verde
National Park
. As a result of being an interpretive park ranger I was exposed to much of the native artwork, in particular the petroglyphs and pictographs (rock art) of the area, and found every bit of it intriguing to say the least.
The interpretation of rock art is nowhere close to being an exact science. That job has been left to the anthropologists and indigenous peoples of the area. The openendedness of rock art interpretation permits many possibilities for the incorporation of this imagery into my artwork. With my artwork the goal is to create narrative pieces, works that are able to tell a story to the viewer based on the iconography. Much of that imagery is not an exact representation of what inspired the original artist; it is a stylized version. That stylized version is what I deal with in my own work and it is through my interpretation that I am able to express my own ideas. The reason that I chose to use wood as my primary medium is due to the organic nature of the material. My intent is to emphasize the original source, which I perceive to be the interrelationship between humans and nature. I employ rock art in order to raise the awareness of the general public regarding the vandalism that is taking place at many rock art sites on a regular basis. I believe that by doing this kind of artwork I am also educating others concerning the value and importance of each one of these sites that tell us so much not only about indigenous history, but about human world history.
I consider the fine art medium of woodworking to be a lifetime exploration. Thus far I have had the opportunity to show much of my work in many diverse settings, ranging from gallery showings, to personal businesses, and even extending into the private domains of many individuals. Nothing makes me feel more enthused and motivated than to see the reactions that people have to my work. It is one of my primary goals to always keep the interest of the viewer regardless of how many times that they have seen my work. The only way to accomplish this is to be innovative and to always be seeking new challenges. This is the path that my career as an artist has followed, as is evident in a body of work that I perceive to be wide-ranging. The diversity in my work will hopefully enable my future as an artist to be a successful one.
Contact:
Ryan J. Huseby
cell 970.275.3953
ryan@stonecanvas.com
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