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E. Carol O’Neill – “Rat Tailed Comb in Pine” carved wooden sculpture, NFS

E. Carol O’Neill –  “Rat Tailed Comb in Pine” carved wooden sculpture, NFS

For seven years in the 1970’s I studied and carved many varieties of wood into abstract and highly polished forms. There were often human themes as family relationships, marriage, hope, and aloneness. In 1978 I learned new skills of joining, and began to experiment with combining ripped wood with polished pieces. The comb, that universal personal implement, appealed to me as a visual metaphor. It is partof the daily ritual of all humans everywhere. The combs you see here are not benign.They have the smooth warmth of polished wood, as well as the jagged, fierce remains of a wi-ter storm. In spite of their part-savage appearance, these combs are very fragile. In a collection their menace is checked. They mirror our world of contrasts and extremes. Singly, they appear more threatening. The true function of these combs is not to straighten the hair of a wooly mammoth, but to seize the attention of busy people. Stop for a moment and see them with your minds’ eye.

Skills

Posted on

October 10, 2017

Skills

Posted on

October 10, 2017