Hollow Man, by Philip Savage
Hollow Man is carved from a 130 year old spruce tree, cut down to make room for housing development and then rescued from a lumberyard. Such a fully matured tree has become a rarity in Eastern Canada due to the overpowering force of modern civilization. The figure I have fashioned from this tree is in a state of ‘paralyzed force, gesture without motion’ to quote T.S. Eliot. This seemingly powerful figure has been by subdued by nature and now begins its slow renewal into soil, the foundation for new life.
As a wood sculptor my objective is to harmonize objects with their environment, mimic the shaping process of the elements and to sculpt forms that expose loss and renewal as inseparable. I started carving as a hobby at age ten, mentored by members of the KV Carvers Club. A fascination with wood has been with me ever since. Now, working from a studio in Quispamsis, NB, I am fully devoted to practicing the art and technique of wood sculpture.
