Category
2024, WoodArtist Website: www.studiovieceli.com
Artist Statement:
Ronald Vieceli has been working with salvaged steel and local hardwoods in southern Illinois for several years. Works combine wood’s organic warmth and the cold industrial essence of steel. Wood is from urban logging operations. Bases are welded from the discarded pieces of fabrication. Each piece possesses a unique shape and texture. Fasteners are exposed and highlighted not hidden. Welds are left raw and textured never smoothed and blended. Each piece is designed to emphasize the soft organic beauty of the wood against the severity of the steel. An important part of the process is limiting the modifications and alterations to each component, striving to keep the wood and the steel as close to their original forms as possible. As the series progresses, it is interesting to recognize how the works evolve based on the availability of the raw materials. The steel depends on shapes available from the scrap pile. Each wood piece is unique in size, shape, and grain pattern. The pieces are an exploration into alternative outcomes for discarded materials.