Sam Perry: Intertwined

Rena Bransten Gallery is pleased to present Intertwined, an exhibition of new wood sculptures by Bay Area artist Sam Perry.  

Since the beginning of his journey with the medium of wood, Perry has experimented with sculpture that seems to bend, twist, or melt in front of the viewer, who may not realize every piece is carved from a single branch, log, or stump (most of which are sourced from Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside, CA where Perry has long been the https://www.sfada.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/62ea1b4d-ab1c-48e1-b79f-3a41f5857004-1.gif of conservation). The new collection of pieces on view in this exhibition highlight this illusion of malleability, and the rigid wood seems supple and stretchable, in defiance of its intrinsic characteristic. Intertwined features extremes of scale ranging from exquisitely delicate attenuated pieces to new massive compositions that writhe with life.

Perry’s work is imbued with a deep respect for craft and precision; with patience and acute awareness, he carves, sands, polishes, and splines with a reverence for the material’s history and a desire to “find” the sculpture hidden within. Often Perry has lived with the fallen trees and trunks in his studio for years before he begins carving, and the finished pieces become testaments to the passage of time, and to the collaborative effort between artist and material.

Sam Perry was born in Kailua, Hawai’i, where he spent weekends as a youth in his father’s canoe shop.  Originally a ceramic artist, he received both his BFA (1986) and MFA (1990) from California College of Arts and Crafts.  After graduating, he took a position as studio assistant to Viola Frey, which he maintained for nearly 20 years.  His sculptures are included in the collections of the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa, CA, and the Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside, CA. He lives and works in Oakland, CA.