Glenn Ronning
You see a number of Scandinavian-style woodcarvings on the windowsill. An unfinished sculpture sits on the tripod. On the floor is a spread of woodcut prints along with cyanotype and sepia alternative photography.
I first became interested in sculpture some 20 years ago. Recently, though, I’ve become frustrated with the lengthy process—from the clay original, to the wax replica, to the foundry, to the final bronze piece. This can sometimes take years, so I switched to woodcarvings. It moves along at a faster pace and is a process in which I’m fully involved.
During this time, I also became interested in old film cameras, negatives and working in the darkroom. Somehow that all gelled—the darkroom and the carving—to become my current interest: woodcuts. It makes perfect sense (at least for now). I get to carve my own negatives.
From my perspective, art is a process, a technical process. It requires the same analysis that I use when troubleshooting a computer problem. Well, maybe that’s simply called trial and error, but hopefully, I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
Cows are great subjects. They just stare at you; it’s what they do, until they run away.
This bench hook provides stability when carving the wood, and it corrals the mess. Not much is needed—just carbon paper to transfer your image onto the Shina plywood and a V-tip knife.
“Balance” is one of my favorite sculptures. It’s got that whole man/woman, push/pull dynamic going for it. A bronzed family dog sits nearby along with stacks of Polaroids.
