Since 2000, Farrell Ruppert has created three-dimensional objects at his forge in Deer Isle. Over time, certain forms have persisted and evolved. A particular curve started as a vessel, then grew into a spiral. Like a seed carrying the biological information that would eventually transform it into a tree, Ruppert’s shapes grew spikes and appendages. Needing attachment to the earth, they became anchored in sand and stone.
Recently, Ruppert added another step to his approach, which enabled him to also use the reductive process in his sculpting. On a nearby island Ruppert has visited since he was a child, he observed the remains of an old fish weir in the sand, and the way it is alternately buried and revealed by tides and wind. This led him to experiment with “burying” his forged forms, first in concrete, now in pigmented sand and epoxy. Using the sand to obscure and reveal, his resulting forms appear to have been worn down by time and the forces of nature.
Recently, Ruppert added another step to his approach, which enabled him to also use the reductive process in his sculpting. On a nearby island Ruppert has visited since he was a child, he observed the remains of an old fish weir in the sand, and the way it is alternately buried and revealed by tides and wind. This led him to experiment with “burying” his forged forms, first in concrete, now in pigmented sand and epoxy. Using the sand to obscure and reveal, his resulting forms appear to have been worn down by time and the forces of nature.
