[
View Artwork
]
Stone Sculptor / Silver Creek, Washington
Bruce Casaw is an environmental and figurative stone
sculptor. Bruce brings a unique and spiritual technique
to his art form. The creation of his art is a process
of many soul searching steps to bring out the strength
and character in each unique block of stone.
The first step in creating his exclusive pieces is
acquiring the material for his art. Bruce selects his
raw material from stones that are hand quarried in Utah.
The marble he chooses is from Cerrera, Italy. These
alabasters, soapstones, serpentines and marbles have
individual qualities and unique potential that Bruce
has the talent to unveil using hammer, chisel, diamond
blade, file, an artist’s eye, and the flowing
agility of practiced hands.
The next steps take place in his home-based art studio
deep in the verdant mountains of Washington State. Bruce
places the raw block of stone on his pedestal, and with
a cup of tea in hand, he then studies the stone, to
become one with the energy flow from the stone, before
making the first strike.
The study and revelation continue, as successive strikes
reveal the essence and the form in each piece. As he
chips away, Bruce may have no pre-conceived notion of
what the piece will ultimately be. As he continues,
he’ll take a wet rag and wipe down the stone to
reveal the otherwise hidden colors and striations. This
process is the stone revealing it’s essence to
Bruce, and what the end result should be. As he sits
with his cup of tea, absorbing the story from the stone,
little by little his art takes form. All this is done
with no models or pre-conceived thought. It’s
the purest form of artistic creation; a man releasing
the art held deep in the soul of a stone.
As artist and stone are emotionally attached through
this process, upon completion, they become detached.
This enables the stone in its new form to choose its
next home for all time.
Bruce Casaw, born in 1947, a self taught sculptor since
the age of 10, is always learning and seeking. His desire
to enhance his technique comes from his love for the
old masters. His drive to create comes from his innate
ability to see what can be, and to feel the energy of
what should be, embedded within what is. Bruce creates
sculptures that seduce the viewer’s eye, and stir
the soul.
Commissioned Work
Bruce’s approach to commissioned work is that
he will do a commission piece only if he is confident
that his client will get exactly what they want; when
he reveals what lies in the stone they choose to carve.
Though not easy, Bruce believes it can be done. The
key is in discovering his client, like he discovers
his stone.
|
