"Abstract Wood Sculpture "

Red Sun was a continuation of the Noguchi energy flow after Ayanna & I took a road trip up to Seattle where we visited my parents, Robert & Nancy Wicks & I introduced Ayanna to Isamu Noguchi's Black Sun, in person. My father, Bob has been one of the most influential craftsmen in my life. From the time I was born to this day, I have admired his mechanical abilities & creative solutions. Whether restoring muscle cars to get them running optimally, creating a patio umbrella stand from the recycled gear of heavy machinery or building custom in home steel wood burning fireplaces, my father piqued my interest & continues to influence many things in my life, including Red Sun. This piece is an assemblage work where I gathered wood pieces that accumulated in my studio over the years. Fueled by the energy of the sun & warm memories of my childhood, I set out on a creative mission to give new life to many of the wood pieces waiting to bloom again. While the circle seems effortless, it took me a couple of weeks to sort through wood piles & fit the random shapes together in a circular design. The process was like a puzzle with no fixed solution. I knew it would eventually be solved through a balanced design of merging Mother Nature's wood shapes with cuts & carvings made by me. Throughout the process of solving the puzzle there were many off balanced shapes that emerged & many moments that it would have been nice to have at least four arms as the shapes fell to the ground while I tried balancing them long enough to get a visual. Once I struck the design balance, I knew it. I could feel it & see it. I then secured the pieces together with steel rods & decided to paint the piece. Inspired by Isamu Noguchi's Black Sun, Robert Wicks' mechanical artistry & Jun Kaneko's (admired ceramic sculptor) use of color, I finished Red Sun with a blast of bright red paint to unify the piece & brighten the viewer's day. ????May peace, Love & family be yours always, Neil Alan Wicks~ Abstract Wood Sculpture