perky cohen art gallery

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artist's statement

I find working with wood totally mesmerizing. I’m captivated by the various grains in each piece of wood as no two are ever alike. I feel they enhanced my sculptures and  give a sensual quality to my work. I enjoy the natural warm of the material and  become completely absorbed with the challenge of designing and redesigning my ideas to fit the wood in front of me. When I’m finished a carving, I love running my fingers over the polished surfaces. I feel like I’ve become a part of the sculpture.  

I started sculpting in high school and continued to take courses in college. I loved working in clay. It wasn’t until I graduated that I learned how to carve wood. After this, I mostly concentrated in this medium.

In the beginning, I confined myself mostly to the female body. I thoroughly loved being pregnant and watching what happened to my body as the months passed. To me there was nothing more exciting than that experience! As a result, many of my sculptures have this theme. I also enjoy seeing what happens to the female body as it is pulled in different directions.

Other themes of mine are human emotions, especially love between men and woman and mother with child. Introspection, loneliness and sadness are also ideas that I explore. Recently, I have started working with abstract forms.

Over the years, I have saved the scrapings from rasping my sculptures. I am now using these to make wall hangings. These have opened a new way for me to experiment with forms and figures and are a relief from the physical stresses required in wood carving.

I occasionally return to sculpt in clay or plaster. This allows me a greater opportunity to explore the effects of negative spaces. I find this a welcome change from the constraints of wood. Here I have the opportunity to manipulate forms and make major changes that are rarely possible in wood.