Reclaimed Wood: Woodwork by Steve Sziklai
Steve Sziklai is a woodworker who uses reclaimed wood -- cast off from from commercial manufacturers, found on beaches, or rescued from backyards and basements -- to produce everything from small household objects to furniture.
Multi-species board, primarily maple and black walnut
Much of the work that Steve produces evokes a warm sense of home -- many simple cutting boards and serving platters are minimally adorned but sculpted with obvious care and attention to detail. The artist has an obvious talent for exploiting the contrasting colours and grains of different woods, sometimes fitting small pieces together to build striking patterns. Each of these small pieces seems like a celebration of the texture and colour of the wood itself, placing emphasis on looking at once-discarded materials in a fresh light.
Alongside household objects, Steve also dabbles in sculpture for sculpture’s sake, making works like Lady of the Lake, a polished and lightly manipulated tree limb that takes on a persona of its own placed on the waterfront of a BC lake.
