For this Sculptor, the Medium Really Is the Message
Last week, sculptor Joseph Wheelwright gave a talk in Groton's De Menil Gallery, where many of his sculptures have been featured throughout this fall. He spoke about what it’s like to be an artist, admitting that it’s not a lucrative career and explaining his ingenious idea to save money: don’t pay for your materials.
Wheelwright began creating pieces of art solely from things he found around his house in Vermont, such as boulders that he could fashion into massive faces, bones from a nearby cow cemetery, or tree branches that he could shape into human figures.
Many of the sculptures featured in the De Menil exhibit are in fact constructed of branches and roots. They portray human activity, ranging from two partners dancing to people balancing on top of each other. Wheelwright says his sculptures carved from rock are his bestselling pieces and believes they are popular because “they will last forever.” Several of these sculptures are displayed outside our very own Dillon Art Center, including a skull with a single gold tooth. He explained that he began that sculpture when he had a health scare about eight years ago, and created the skull to represent how he felt about his dire prognosis. When he recovered completely, he added the gold tooth to “cheer up” the deadly figure, and it now appears more whimsical than scary.
Wheelwright says that none of his pieces were constructed to send a message; he creates his pieces simply for the act of creating. It is what he loves.
His favorite piece featured in the De Menil exhibit is his “Man on the Moon” sculpture, a moon carved from rock with two tiny people standing on top of it. Wheelwright said it amazes him how fragile those parts of the sculpture are; he was pleasantly surprised that his vision came to life successfully.
Wheelwright’s work represents something that is often overlooked—that the most beautiful things exist naturally. His exhibit reminds us that the real art in this world comes from the things that you can’t make by hand.—Morgan Pagliocco ’14
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Many of the sculptures featured in the De Menil exhibit are in fact constructed of branches and roots. They portray human activity, ranging from two partners dancing to people balancing on top of each other. Wheelwright says his sculptures carved from rock are his bestselling pieces and believes they are popular because “they will last forever.” Several of these sculptures are displayed outside our very own Dillon Art Center, including a skull with a single gold tooth. He explained that he began that sculpture when he had a health scare about eight years ago, and created the skull to represent how he felt about his dire prognosis. When he recovered completely, he added the gold tooth to “cheer up” the deadly figure, and it now appears more whimsical than scary.
Wheelwright says that none of his pieces were constructed to send a message; he creates his pieces simply for the act of creating. It is what he loves.
His favorite piece featured in the De Menil exhibit is his “Man on the Moon” sculpture, a moon carved from rock with two tiny people standing on top of it. Wheelwright said it amazes him how fragile those parts of the sculpture are; he was pleasantly surprised that his vision came to life successfully.
Wheelwright’s work represents something that is often overlooked—that the most beautiful things exist naturally. His exhibit reminds us that the real art in this world comes from the things that you can’t make by hand.—Morgan Pagliocco ’14
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