Kevin Burrus will give a short talk First Thursday at PDX, 7pm.
New sculptural works
Kevin Burrus uses traditional wood turning techniques to create elegant sculptures of natural wood and man made paper; often National Geographics, Architectural Digest and Encyclopedias.
Kevin Burrus is a graduate of the Oregon College of Art & Craft (2002). Though early in his career, his work has been published in such esteemed publications as American Craft and Oregon Home.
The last few years I have found myself drawn to lines created by form or object. Some of my influences include the shadow of a tree projected on the asphalt or the power lines dividing the skyline. These lines are everywhere in our environment. I have also noticed the repetition of lines in my work. It has been demonstrated in my "Movement" series by taking marks from drawing and turning them into sculpture or exploring the lines that have been carved into the wood by creating a two dimension print. I have also started using two different planes of the material to create a new line within the object.
Lastly, one of the most important aspects of my work is the use of magazines. The magazine has gone through a metamorphosis starting as wood, processed into a magazine and now used as a substitute for wood within the sculptures. In a sense it is a representation of the past and present materials that have been combined into one sculptural object. The addition of the magazine helps to break up the wood sculpture and helps create aesthetically pleasing lines using the bound and printed images and information. These lines of paper tell stories, and document cultures. Although we cannot access it physically once it is incorporated in a sculpture, we can imagine what the pages might contain and make up our own stories.
- Kevin Burrus, March 2006