ITEM American Association of Woodturners / AAW Contemporary Wood Art Auctions / Mark Sfirri | Madonna and Child
Mark Sfirri | Madonna and Child
650.00USDto s****p+ applicable fees & taxes.
Mark Sfirri, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Madonna and Child, 2020
Holly, paint
"In 2001 I designed a piece titled Madonna and Child. It was two bowling pins of different sizes turned on multiple centers. This approach allowed me to animate them by bending them and take them away from their more recognizable radial symmetry. For this exhibition, I revisited this concept using sticks with stubs of branches. Although it was not my initial intention, the location of the branches makes me think of a bear and her cub. I was pleased with that unexpected development. The geometry, relationship of objects, and title are similar but the result is clearly much different."
Mark Sfirri studied furniture design at Rhode Island School of Design, where he received both his BFA and MFA while studying under Tage Frid. His specialty within turning is the use of multiple axes, which has allowed him to create forms that are not readily apparent as turned objects. He is Professor Emeritus of the Fine Woodworking Programs at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA. He received a Distinguished Educator Award in 2010 by the Renwick Alliance. His work is included in the permanent collections of twenty-seven public institutions including the Museum of Art and Design (NYC), The Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian Institutions, Washington DC), The Yale Art Gallery (New Haven, CT), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design (Charlotte, NC), among others.
Sfirri has authored eighteen articles on history, design, and technique for a variety of craft publications. Since 2006 he has been researching the life and work of woodworker Wharton Esherick. He has authored or co-authored six articles about him for Woodwork and Journal of Modern Craft.
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