Warren Straus
My recent work is three-dimensional. It’s made of wood and often includes elements of either stained or fused glass. The pieces sometimes function as cabinets, but they are primarily sculptural, not functional. Very often the inside of the cabinet is integral to the outside.
These sculptures are not furniture and I am not a fine wood worker. I compensate for my lack of wood-working skills by using lots of filler and paint. What excites me is the design, the sculpture, the color. Sometimes the pieces have an historical background such as those honoring Louise Nevelson and Joseph Cornell. In another I play with old car parts. One came from my daughter’s request for a grandfather clock; she knew it wouldn’t be conventional.
After having taught art in public schools for 34 years, I love having the opportunity to test for myself aspects of art that I preached to the kids all those years. I can put the ideas into practice and see if they really do work.
I’m often asked where my creations come from. Basically they come from trying to see all the various possibilities of an idea. I do dozens of little sketches for each possible idea. What can you make of a box? Because in the end the work is a bunch of boxes.
In a previous life I did ceramics, primarily raku. Making things out of wood is more direct than making them out of clay. Although I sometimes miss the plasticity of clay, I enjoy the directness of working with wood. The best part is that I’m having great fun with my art, and I hope others enjoy it as much as I do.
Warren Straus