In Focus — Wood for Art’s Sake

Wood sculptor Mark Gardner gives a lecture at Galerie 103 in The Shops at Kukui‘ula in Po‘ipu March 20.

Visiting North Carolina wood sculptor Mike Gardner gave Kaua‘i’s wood artists a woodpecker’s view of his work and techniques in March.

His original work is featured in many national collections, including the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Yale Art Gallery and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Several Kaua‘i artists attended Gardner’s free lecture and slide show at Bruna Stude’s Galerie 103 in The Shops at Kukui‘ula March 20.

Mark Gardner, of North Carolina, and Katie Twaddle, of Kekaha.

Then for the next three days, he conducted an intensive workshop at Robin Clark’s studio in Kalaheo.

Gardner said he prefers to work with “green wood” because of its availability and cost. Green wood means the wood is not yet dry — it usually takes about a year for the wood to dry for each inch of thickness.

Additionally, there’s so much water in green wood that it makes it easier to work than dry wood, he said.

However, you have to take extra care to prevent the wood from cracking, and if it does, you have to be OK with it, Gardner said.

Gardner’s visit to Kaua‘i was part of the Hawai‘i Craftmen’s ‘Aha Hana Lima program. The Kaua‘i Director of Hawai‘i Craftsmen, Kat Cowan, said the Aha Hana Lima is an annual event on O‘ahu, but this year the nonprofit made it available to neighbor islands.