Scott Bruckner

Artist Statement

My abstract sculptures emerge through an intuitive conversation with wood, a material I have always been drawn to for its physicality and the warmth and presence it brings to a space.

Much of my material is salvaged or given to me, including walnut, eucalyptus, mango, and rare Torrey pine. Each piece carries the life of the tree and the circumstances that brought it into my studio. Juxtaposing rough edges with finely finished surfaces makes the wood’s transformation visible. I generally leave it unstained to preserve its natural color and grain, sometimes charring the surface or incorporating metal for contrast.

Sweeping curves, spheres, and branching elements interact with negative spaces to encourage contemplation of the nonmaterial as well as the physical. Their bodily associations evoke sensuality, movement, and balance. Whether bending walnut beyond its expected limits or composing with saved live-edge offcuts, I work until the separate elements resolve into the form I have come to envision.