James Vandenboom's Page

Hometown:

Kent, OH

Country:

United States of America

About Me:

BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
In 1958 I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up underneath huge canopies of Elms, Maples and Oaks, and later earned a BFA in Sculpture from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 1983, a MFA in Sculpture from Kent State University in Dec. 1991. In June of '83, after graduating from CIA, I took off for Southern France to work as a Teaching Assistant in the stone Quarry of the L'ecole des beaux Arts in Lacoste, France. The medieval castle and village of the Marquis De Sade. After deciding to stay for one more full year in 1984, I worked with masons reconstructing medieval ruins, tended a huge fruit and vegetable garden-oh ya forgot about the chickens-, house sitting and carving allot of stone. In August 1985 I moved to Chicago, built, lived and worked in an 8,000 sq.ft. warehouse studio. I worked in the cabinetry and automation stainless steel fabrication trades while building my portfolio. Fall of 1989 - Dec. 1991, as a KSU grad student, wood logs became my primary material and subject, I taught Beginning Sculpture for four semesters on a TA Scholarship. From 1993-1996 I worked as a Technical Assistant in the Sculpture Dept. at The Cleveland Institute of Art. I was responsible for a $10,000 budget, purchasing, repair and maintenance of tools and facilities, demonstrations, technical assistance and periodical critiques. In spring of 1995 I was commissioned to cast an 8' set of stainless steel silverware for the Avon Grove Diner in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. For the past 10 or so years my energies have been diverted towards personal family relationships and needs. Today my energies are back to improving my studio practices and pursuing the opportunities my art has to offer.

Are You artist?

yes

If you're an artist, what kind of art do you make?

Digital, Drawing, Photography, Sculpture

Member type

Artist, Photographer, Sculptor, Gallery, Museum

How would you describe your style of art?

ARTIST STATEMENT
I have experience, both industrially and sculpturally, in casting, metal and wood fabrication but my predominant interest has been in the carving process. My process involves looking inside, searching below the surface and breaking through the other side. I try to honor each stone or log by emphasizing their particular natural dimensions, forms and textures. I combine natural forms with architectural/ industrial rhythms. The past couple of years I have noticed in my work some unintended direct paralels to my past, in particularly the operation to reset my inverted ribs at age five. My chain saw makes precise surgical slices, dissects, and removes what does not belong. As a student at The Cleveland Institute of Art I investigated possibilities of large outdoor sculpture. Once placed outside they immediately became dwarfed and insignificant to the 60' trees nearby. I remember thinking "how can I compete with the scale of trees?" Today I bring the trees inside to an architectural setting, the physically of the weight and mass have a direct relationship to a figurative scale, while the carved structural rhythms have a direct relationship to architectural and utilitarian forms.

Describe your most recent work:

The past couple of years I have noticed in my work some unintended direct paralels to my past, in particularly the operation to reset my inverted ribs at age five. My chain saw makes precise surgical slices, dissects, and removes what does not belong.

How do you decide on your subject matter?

Logs, Human scale, Architecture, Drawing

Website:

http://jamesvandenboom.spaces.live.com/

Which language do You speak?

English

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