Upstairs at the Renwick Gallery there is always more great work on view (which I visited after viewing A Revolution In Wood), some rotating, some on permanent display. My favorite of the permanent work is Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock (1985). The label says they acquired it in 1989 but the first time I noticed it was in the mid-90's (maybe '96 or '97?). It was placed between a couple of display rooms in a foyer-like space so it was particularly difficult to recognize as art. The only reason I noticed it was because the guard called me back after I past and told me to take a closer look at the label, which read simply, "bleached and stained mahogany." Still in disbelief at what I was seeing, he told me to look behind it (being placed in the center of the room, I was able to do this) and up from underneath to see a spot where the "sheet" and "clock" are connected. It has since been moved to a more recognizably art location, probably because the guard got tired of calling people back to take a closer look, and it now has its back to the wall so you can't get behind it, thus you'll have to take my word that there is a tiny spot (and only one tiny spot that you need to get on your hands and knees to see) where the deception is revealed.Update November 21, 2011: I was at the Renwick a couple of weeks ago and noticed it has since been moved back to the center of a room, so you can now inspect the entire piece to your hearts content. The perfectly carved wrinkles, puckers, and dimples make it particularly deceptive. In addition, on past viewings I've felt that he somehow was able to sculpt the weave of the thread into the wood but on this last visit I finally realized that the open grain nature of mahogany creates the effect of giving it a thread count. Also upstairs, as part of their rotating exhibit, was this piece by Christian Burchard, Basket Series (1997), made with madrone. He likes to collaborate with nature in creating his sculptures and these are a good example. It looks like he charred them to get a black interior. The brown exterior and the naturally warped surface gives them the look of leather and help the viewer to recognize that these objects came from a living thing. It was interesting to see that Christian's piece was donated by John and Robyn Horn and across the room was this piece, Slashed Millstone (1996) made by Robyn Horn. She is in an elite group of collectors that are also great artists. I find her work interesting in a number of ways but in particular I like how she uses wood to create sculptures of stone. It is a little humorous really, but it also makes sense, you can't really make a sculpture of stone in stone without it being the object rather than the sculpture of the object, and other media (clay, metal, glass) would look too contrived or artificial. Wood, on the other hand, provides its own natural irregularities that mimic metamorphosed sediment. This piece is made with ebonized redwood burl. It was also good to see Binh Pho's work. This piece, Journey to Destiny (2003), is made with oak, maple, gold leaf, acrylic paint, and dye. I saw a show of his work in one of his galleries over the summer and learned that he still works a full-time engineering job, which seems impossible given his level of art production and the intensity of his work. He must not need or want sleep. And finally, there was this piece by Daniel Essig, Book of Nails II (2003), made with a virtual short story of materials -- mahogany, various metals, hand-made flax paper, velvet, linen thread, mica, trilobite, leather, paint, stains, and epoxy. It caught my eye because it reminds me of Janet Van Fleet's work with its use of nails and books. Too bad the museum has a case over the piece preventing visitors from handling it; the book would be interesting to close to see what it looks like with the nails surrounding the carcass and feeling their hard edges. It is very intriguing, a lot to look at, play with, and think about.
There is a fascinating show of wood sculptures, titled Afterward, at the Flynndog Gallery in Burlington, VT, Sept 30 - Oct 29, by Emiko Sawaragi Gilbert and Janet Van Fleet. Emiko's part of the show is titled Cornucopia and Janet's is All Aboard. Both artists have collaborated with nature to create the work. They haven't carved, painted, or significantly altered what is normally viewed as refuse and debris by most people, thereby helping the viewer to see the world in new and interesting ways.
Though not in a formal gallery, complete with gallerina or even a desperate and starving gallerist, this show is likely to be one of the best you will ever wander into in Burlington; the rest of Vermont; or just about anywhere. Better still, the work is also some of the most affordable you'll find anywhere (how often do you find something that is simultaneously the best and cheapest of any category -- the only other example I can think of is the hummus at the Mediterranean Bakery and Cafe in Alexandria, Va.) -- all but two of Emiko's pieces are available to a loving home as gifts from her and the Vermont forest from which they came (contact her at emiko.cornucopia@gmail.com) while all of Janet's pieces, which she vows are not returning to her now clean studio, have no prices because she is happy to accept offers (call her at 802-272-5956 and name your price). Hence, this is a great place to do early holiday shopping (Janet's work is available as individual pieces or as their current groupings).
In Cornucopia, Emiko has used "scrap" branches and trees, left over from a firewood collection event, that are reshaped into interesting forms. Each is made from a single, continuous section of a tree. They are so well crafted that you first wonder whether the forms are natural tree growths or caused by some other force of nature (bugs? wind?).
In this one, If I Dream, she has created a womb-like bulb.
If I Dream
Here is another view and closeup of the same piece.
If I Dream (closeup)
The title piece, Cornucopia, is the easiest to identify by its title.
Cornucopia
I believe this piece, Janice, is a portrait, but perhaps more a portrait of spirit than physical features.
Janice
With It she has created two delicate cocoon-like leaf balls. Has the tree curled up to protect itself from insects or have insects attacked it and drawn the branches together?
It
Initially, when I saw this single drawing (a series of vertical graphite lines that subtly forms a shadow of a figure) in the show, I thought it was out of place, but after thinking about it a while I realized that it was a metaphor for the rest of the show, a person present, but in the shadows, subtly influencing what is present.
Figure graphite on paper
In Janet Van Fleet's half of the show, titled All Aboard, she has cleaned out her studio and repurposed hundreds(?) of found object sculptures from the last 12 years to create a metaphorical and visual "train" that depicts life in all its beauty and ugliness.
Appropriately, The Eagle Points The Way To A Different Future, leads the parade.
All Aboard
Though old and decrepit, the eagle seems to have the wisdom needed for charting a better direction. With this closeup you can see his gnarly wood face and driftwood chip feathers.
Eagle Closeup
The show includes many of Janet's wonderful teapots. I love how they have their own unique personalities. It is fascinating to see how she has imbued them all with a touch of humanity.
Teapots
Several years ago Janet made a wonderful video, titled March of the Teapots, that shows just how much personality they have as they leave her studio in Barre, VT and make their way to a show in St. Johnsbury, VT. It is well worth watching.
There is also this great little piano dancer. The toy piano really makes the piece.
Dancer
Here is a reincarnation piece made with a poem by Janet's mother. You can read more about the making of the piece and the full text of the poem on her blog here.
Reincarnation
I like how these tiny nail/screw people seem to be picking apart the flesh like ants. Great found wood head.
Reincarnation (closeup)
Then there are these greedy Cowbirds (with their gold hands) that seem to be dancing around their trophies (Janet said she thinks they are surrounding slaves but like most of her work, it is open for interpretation). They also have a trail of dollars following behind them (lots of foreign currency with unknown value along with some greenbacks).
Cowbirds
They look rather happy, dancing around in all their hubris.
Cowbirds closeup
I find this funeral piece to be more fun and funny than sad.
Funeral
The musician seems joyous and I really like the guy in the cart on the lower level (titled Bring Out Your Dead) -- he makes me think of this classic "Not Dead Yet" skit from Monty Python's Holy Grail movie (amazingly, it is always just as funny whether you're watching it for the 1st or the 100th time).
I don't think this hangman/puppeteer is up to any good, he might even have some fascist tendencies with his fork hand (which I love) and all those military medals while standing above segregated/compartmentalized objects (broken glass, buttons, baby shoes, and a small collection of her wonderful nail people, among other things).
Hangman/Puppet
This piece is definitely in the "up to no good" category. Plenty of fighting and killing going on.
War
The Prophecy piece seems to be made from a series of self-important and condescending priests, each with odd heads that are nothing like the self image portraits they carry around. I don't normally think of priests or prophets as narcissistic but their lack of self-knowledge seems to indicate a high level of self-absorption.
Prophecy
This is the best head of the bunch, a grotesque rotting dead lizard(?) made from chicken bones and a tree root.
Prophecy (closeup)
Then, back in the fun/pleasant category, there is this surrealistic fish chariot piece.
Fish Chariot
Also in the happy category is this coupling piece. It is good to see a loving lesbian couple made the parade as well.
Coupling
There is also this burlap ash covered beggar. Very realistic, complete with polio-stricken and atrophied (though surprisingly still useful) legs. I'd bet if you left him on a busy street during the day he could actually earn his keep.
Beggar
And finally, there is this pair that Janet said were titled Adam and Eve for a show years ago. I don't think they have to represent the apocryphal primordial couple, they could be just any pair, or non-pair, but I like their exaggeratedly long legs and the courage they show in their armless existence.
I was in Boston yesterday and was surprised to see Leah Woods work at Gallery NAGA. She designs and builds beautiful, elegant, and feminine sculptural furniture using a lot of elaborate wood bending. She won a Niche Award last year for her wood furniture and I've seen pieces in several magazines. She will also be showing at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston next month. I find these two pieces at Gallery NAGA interesting in how it takes items (shoes) that are usually hidden in a closet and takes them out for display as part of a sculpture. I don't think too many men would have thought to do this. It is also a great idea in that shoes that don't get used very often can still be enjoyed as art. This top one is obviously the woman's shoe version, the one below is the man's version.
Although I can see women's shoes working as art and being on display, I'm not thinking that it works so well for men's shoes. Men just have boring shoes. I think men's shoes start becoming art when they get so over used and worn out that going barefoot is an improvement -- like this (below) Janet Van Fleet sculpture with my old shoes (although I don't think Leah's sculpture would be an appropriate display for it). When I finally stopped wearing them, barefoot was definitely more comfortable. But then, I'm not really the best person to ask about men's or women's fashion. There probably are very nice men's shoes out there that are worthy of display, I would have no idea.
Below is an image of Leah's piece that is featured for the Society of Arts and Craft show. In addition to being very well designed and constructed, I find her work interesting in how feminine it is. I just don't think you could ask a man to design something that would do the same function as that and get something that is so "girlie." Right down to the fine point feet, it just gives you the sense that it was designed by a woman for a woman.
The perfectly carved wrinkles, puckers, and dimples make it particularly deceptive. In addition, on past viewings I've felt that he somehow was able to sculpt the weave of the thread into the wood but on this last visit I finally realized that the open grain nature of mahogany creates the effect of giving it a thread count. 
Also upstairs, as part of their rotating exhibit, was this piece by Christian Burchard, Basket Series (1997), made with madrone. He likes to collaborate with nature in creating his sculptures and these are a good example. It looks like he charred them to get a black interior. The brown exterior and the naturally warped surface gives them the look of leather and help the viewer to recognize that these objects came from a living thing. 
It was interesting to see that Christian's piece was donated by John and Robyn Horn and across the room was this piece, Slashed Millstone (1996) made by Robyn Horn. She is in an elite group of collectors that are also great artists. I find her work interesting in a number of ways but in particular I like how she uses wood to create sculptures of stone. It is a little humorous really, but it also makes sense, you can't really make a sculpture of stone in stone without it being the object rather than the sculpture of the object, and other media (clay, metal, glass) would look too contrived or artificial. Wood, on the other hand, provides its own natural irregularities that mimic metamorphosed sediment. This piece is made with ebonized redwood burl. 
It was also good to see Binh Pho's work. This piece, Journey to Destiny (2003), is made with oak, maple, gold leaf, acrylic paint, and dye. I saw a show of his work in one of his galleries over the summer and learned that he still works a full-time engineering job, which seems impossible given his level of art production and the intensity of his work. He must not need or want sleep.
And finally, there was this piece by Daniel Essig, Book of Nails II (2003), made with a virtual short story of materials -- mahogany, various metals, hand-made flax paper, velvet, linen thread, mica, trilobite, leather, paint, stains, and epoxy. It caught my eye because it reminds me of Janet Van Fleet's work with its use of nails and books. Too bad the museum has a case over the piece preventing visitors from handling it; the book would be interesting to close to see what it looks like with the nails surrounding the carcass and feeling their hard edges. It is very intriguing, a lot to look at, play with, and think about.
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