I first saw Dave Matthews' work when he entered some wood assemblage pieces in the Tracy Art League's Expressions show two years ago. You can see some examples of this type of work on his webpage. Dave was part of the Artists' Talk at the Expressions! Selections 2018 show at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts because his assemblage work was also selected to be part of that smaller exhibition. I was surprised when I saw him at this year's Expressions! Selections gallery talk helping Michael Rizza, a sculptor of stone, make his presentation. It turns out that Dave has moved into sculpting stone as well. I was intrigued by Michael Rizza's dedication to his identity as an artist, and I became interested in how other artists, including Dave Matthews, are helping him continue his work despite his suffering from macular degeneration. (More on this topic in another post.) Approaching them both after the gallery talk led to the opportunity to visit the studio and learn more about Dave's current work in sculpture. At the time I visited, Dave was working with pink alabaster shipped from Utah. He had had a vision for what the piece above would become. However, it turned out that the stone had a dirt pocket that made it impossible for Dave to achieve his original vision. He wouldn't tell me what that vision was because he still planned to try to make it work with another piece of stone! I have since found out that he used the stone pictured below to make a new piece entitled Whimsy. There are elements of luck or unexpected complications in just about every art form. However, the element of surprise seems to be a big part of sculpting stone. When the sculptor chooses a stone, they can't always tell what will be exposed once they start carving or sanding. Dave strikes me as a pretty organized guy and someone who plans things, so I want to talk to him more about how he deals with the surprises buried in the stone he carves. When I was with the group, I noticed that Dave showed his work to the other sculptors and asked for their thoughts about what they saw in the stone once he realized he wasn't going to be able to make his original design. Asking for feedback when you are creating art is a brave thing. You never know what people will say, and it can be painful at times to hear criticism. It's a credit to Dave and the group of sculptors that they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with each other during the art-making process.
1 Comment
Nathalie
3/7/2020 09:07:56 pm
Candid and terrific photo shots Tiffanie!! Enjoyed reading the blog too!! 🤗
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April 2022
AuthorTiffanie Heben is a photographer who has been inspired by the artists in her community |