Chris Hedrick's work in sculpture ranges from realistically carved wood pieces to found object constructions... and everything in between.
For the wood pieces, everyday objects like tools, clothing, toys and guns are carved from a single block of wood at a natural scale to trick the viewer's mind. Textures and gestures conjure words like soft, limp, melting or stretched - words not associated with wood.
Hedrick doesn't confine his sculpture to carving. His other 3-D pieces are created from combining found objects - sticks, doll parts, boxes - into human-like figures.
Alaskan Yellow Cedar, carved at actual size.
Carved from one piece of spalted, wormy Linden (6.5" x 6.5" x 5") There is color shift in this wood.
Linden, 33" x 36" - the actual size of a pile of 23 work gloves. A very ambitious piece.
Alaskan Yellow Cedar, 21" x 14"
Parfleche are Native American rawhide carrying cases that are decorated with incising and paint. Hedrick's pieces are essentially wooden portraits of actual pieces. Even the ties are carved out of wood.
Poplar and hedge clippers, 24" x 16" x 3"
Linden, 20" x 10" x 3"
Quilted Maple and Padauk, 11" x 5" x 6"
Osage Orange, Ebony, Walnut and Zebrawood, 10" x 10" x 4"
Curly Maple, Yellow Heart and Ebony, the sprinkler head spins, 18" x 12" x 6"
Osage Orange, Ebony and Cherry, 14" x 16" x 3"
Walnut, Oak, Purple Heart and Canarywood, 16" x 20" x 8"
Storm debris and bottle caps from a beach parking lot, 26" x 14" x 14"
Chris began his career in the corporate world as an illustrator and graphic designer.
While the wood carving has only come in the last few years, he has been painting for most of his life.
His early paintings are air-brushed realism, more recently he's been painting with oils. There are very clearly themes: cars, campers, beach, bananas, wagons, meat, fishing lures.
More photos - the artist at work, exhibitions and more just for fun.
Showing a series with rusty, found tool parts and wood sculpture in fanciful gestures and unlikely combinations.