EDWARD D. DARCHUK
My functional sculpture pieces are titled with the names of Colorado places. The connection between three-dimensional design and Colorado landscapes is not an obvious one, but my memories of growing up on the eastern plains have played a dominant role in inspiring my aesthetics as a designer.
The rhythm of the wheat fields, the vastness of the skies, the building of clouds before an afternoon thunderstorm, the simplicity of spaces, the clarity of the night skies, as well as structures such as spanning bridges, are the primary source of inspiration in my designs. The formal elements evident in my work, lines, shapes, size ratios, colors, patterns, textures, and values can all be correlated to inspirations drawn from the visual imagery of places on the Colorado plains.
While receiving my degree in art from the University of Southern Colorado, my emphasis was in sculpture and three-dimensional design. I also studied technical drawing and structural concepts for my minor in engineering technology. Currently I am the production manager of one of Loveland’s fine art foundries. The integration of bronze casting, structural design, and fine woodworking is a result of my life-long experience and interest in all of these fields.
Although I consider my work to be sculptural first and foremost, I am also very mindful of the tenets and processes of fine woodworking. I create a piece from sketches that detail the jointery and overall line gesture. Then the woods are selected, cut, and dry-fitted. At this point, the three-dimensional design has its own character that must be modified and refined to completion.
Currently I have been exhibiting in the juried and international “Lines into Shapes Art Show” at the Art Center of Estes Park. In 2010 my piece, “High Plains Afternoon,” was awarded Best of Show. In 2009 I created a life-and-a-quarter size boat sculpture in collaboration with Susan Geisler’s bronze figures in a monument entitled, “Freedom Crossing” in Lewiston, New York. In 2008 I was honored to work on a collaborative piece with Tim Cherry that was a part of the “Prix de West Art Show” at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
My functional sculpture pieces are titled with the names of Colorado places. The connection between three-dimensional design and Colorado landscapes is not an obvious one, but my memories of growing up on the eastern plains have played a dominant role in inspiring my aesthetics as a designer.
The rhythm of the wheat fields, the vastness of the skies, the building of clouds before an afternoon thunderstorm, the simplicity of spaces, the clarity of the night skies, as well as structures such as spanning bridges, are the primary source of inspiration in my designs. The formal elements evident in my work, lines, shapes, size ratios, colors, patterns, textures, and values can all be correlated to inspirations drawn from the visual imagery of places on the Colorado plains.
While receiving my degree in art from the University of Southern Colorado, my emphasis was in sculpture and three-dimensional design. I also studied technical drawing and structural concepts for my minor in engineering technology. Currently I am the production manager of one of Loveland’s fine art foundries. The integration of bronze casting, structural design, and fine woodworking is a result of my life-long experience and interest in all of these fields.
Although I consider my work to be sculptural first and foremost, I am also very mindful of the tenets and processes of fine woodworking. I create a piece from sketches that detail the jointery and overall line gesture. Then the woods are selected, cut, and dry-fitted. At this point, the three-dimensional design has its own character that must be modified and refined to completion.
Currently I have been exhibiting in the juried and international “Lines into Shapes Art Show” at the Art Center of Estes Park. In 2010 my piece, “High Plains Afternoon,” was awarded Best of Show. In 2009 I created a life-and-a-quarter size boat sculpture in collaboration with Susan Geisler’s bronze figures in a monument entitled, “Freedom Crossing” in Lewiston, New York. In 2008 I was honored to work on a collaborative piece with Tim Cherry that was a part of the “Prix de West Art Show” at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
