stuart farmery

august 30 - september 25, 2025

“Recently, I’ve been drawn to simple shapes—forms that stray or bulge away from the familiar circle or square. These subtle distortions often provoke unexpected images and associations. I’m especially interested in how a basic shape can be gently pushed off balance, made to protrude or lean, and yet still retain a sense of structure and poise.


My ‘bases’ are an integral part of each sculpture. They ground the work physically, but also conceptually, anchoring the forms while allowing them to rise upward. I think a lot about imbalance: how a piece can stand firmly while protruding in surprising directions. Brancusi has long been a powerful influence.

I’ve always liked to work with wood I’ve found—often pieces discarded by the roadside. There’s something compelling about their history: weathered, unpolished, marked by time and neglect. Their lack of preciousness invites a kind of freedom. I begin by reading the shape of the wood, allowing its irregularities to suggest a direction, carve into these cues, respond to them, sometimes resist them. I leave visible saw marks, scuffs, chalk outlines, layers of paint, allowing the surface to retain evidence of its making where color is an equal part of the structure.”