Geoffrey Wilkes
Gerrardstown, West Virginia


Inner Sanctom
5.5” diameter x 4” high
Lathe-turned maple burl with tung oil and wax.

I feel it is collaboration with the material that expresses the soul of the object. My approach is to work with the wood, searching for the appropriate form, which each individual piece demands. Creating vessels that beckon to be held and carry the viewer’s eye around the form is my objective. The hollow forms create a tension between the ripeness of the vessel and the small opening through which they are hollowed, begging the inevitable question of “How did you get the inside out?” The sculptural forms are about working with the natural negative space and textures unique to each piece of wood.

The acquisition of technical vocabulary has allowed me to create a dialogue with the material and the object being created. It is this symbiosis between maker, wood and finished object that I find immensely satisfying.