Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Portrait of an Artist - Gerdine van Woudenberg

Today's Art Fayre artist is Gerdine van Woudenberg of Dunvegan, Ontario.


Flower Bud

Gerdine van Woudenberg spent 16 years as a professional student in post-secondary 
education, resulting in degrees/diplomas in: Equestrian Studies, a Paralegal degree, 
a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Rights, a Master’s degree in International Affairs, and she completed 6 years of a PhD in Anthropology.



Santa



Welcome Bear


Her artistic expression through wood grew overtime. She started in 1997 working part time with her Master Carpenter partner finishing his cabinetry and furniture. She then moved to the lathe, hand carvings and eventually into building canoe furniture and historic reproductions. Having carved stump men and gnomes for years by hand, she  picked up the chainsaw a couple of years ago to enable her me to go larger, quicker and work with unique pieces of wood otherwise too large for the workshop. The passion and love she felt  for the chainsaw was unexpected, and has opened a whole new array of artistic expression.




Eagle



Jack in Pulpit


“When it comes to chainsaw carving, no piece of wood is the same, and I have to 
think carefully about every piece. The mushrooms and fungus originally  captured my interest as their simple lines and curves gave me endless opportunity to understand what I was able to do with the chainsaw. This has allowed me to really begin to transfer what I  envision in my mind  onto a log, and has led to numerous different creations: Santas, bears, eagles, flowers, lions, sea creatures, mushroom furniture and more. In the 
creative process the wood speaks to me as much as my creativity… there are many 
treasures hidden underneath its bark.”




Mouse




Oyster




Penguin

Join us at Art Fayre 2012 to meet Gerdine and add one of her amazing carvings to your collection! You can learn more about Gerdine on her website


No comments:

Post a Comment