RICHARD NEVELS

Local Portland station KGW8 produced a short video of Richard’s process and inspiration. Take a look for insight into Richard’s amazing collaboration with nature.

Some images are purely representative of the artist’s work and are not in stock. Contact the gallery for specific inventory availability.

ARTIST STATMENT

Wood. Infinite variety. Endless beauty. The stuff dreams are made of. I’ve had two dreams in my life. The first was to work in wood. The second was to make my way in the world by discovering treasure on the beach. Both were realized after I moved to San Juan Island in 1980. We lived right on the water and had amassed a considerable collection of intriguing wood by 1981. Then fate stepped in and I met Michael Moss, an art box maker, after seeing his work in the Island Artisans Gallery in Friday Harbor. His exceptional craftsmanship stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to do what he was doing. Mike became my mentor and close friend, teaching me everything from wood identification through the process of sculpting art boxes. After that, I was off to the races!

Some of the most majestic trees on the planet grow in the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest. Their evergreen splendor fills the landscape from the mountains to the sea and lines every river and stream. Time, erosion, and wind topple some into the water, then out to sea and, perhaps, onto a beach. The woods I sculpt are rare finds. Discovering them is a treasure hunt. What simply looks like gray, weathered wood is actually an entire forest in hiding. Ironically, only a tiny fraction of that forest is suitable for my artwork.

There are strict criteria wood must meet to become a Sculpted Art Box: It must have appealing color, fascinating grain and/or unusual growth formations; it must have a minimum of checking or decomposition; and it must be large enough to sculpt. The native cedars: Western Red, Alaskan Yellow and Pacific Juniper, are aromatic and highly prized. Yew, Maple, Alder and Madrona are popular northwest woods, especially if they are bird’s eye, spalted or figured. I have found other species in my day, but they are so rare as to be non-existent, like finding a diamond in a coal mine. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity so many years ago to follow my dream. It has been an exciting adventure and a joy to bring beauty into people’s lives.