Christian Burchard
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
b. 1955, Hamburg, Germany
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
Art for Embassies Program, Washington, DC
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
M.H. de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Royal Cultural Center, Jedda, Saudi Arabia
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
WoodTurning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Scottsdale, AZ
New West Coast Design: Contemporary Objects, San Francisco Museum of
Craft + Design, San Francisco, CA
2007-08 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
2006-08 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005-08 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis: The Art of Conceptual Craft, Selections From the Wornick
Collection, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004-07 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2006 Turning Wood into Art, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London, England,UK
Wood Now, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
Woodturning on the Edge, University of Idaho, Pritchard Gallery, Moscow, ID
Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
ARTScottsdale, WestWorld, Art & Antiques, Scottsdale, AZ
2005 Art Invitational, Great American Art Company, Tacoma, WA
Nature Transformed:Wood Art from The Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan
Art Gallery, University Center, MI
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
2004-05 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
1997-05 Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Nature Transformed, Wood Art from The Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan
Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
1997-04 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Into the Woods, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
A Tribute to Rude Osolnik: An Exhibition of Contemporary Turned Wood, Kentucky
Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
2002 Modern Bestiary: Artists View the Animal Kingdom, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts,
Racine, WI
Surface + Form, Craftwest Gallery, Perth, Australia
Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collectors' Choice, Collectors of Wood Art Forum, SOFA, Chicago, IL
2001-02 Wood Turning in North America Since 1930,
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
2001 Challenge VI - Roots: Insights & Inspirations in Contemporary Turned Objects, Berman
Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA, touring
Against the Grain: Turned and Sculpted Wood, The McAllen International Museum,
McAllen, TX
2000 Artful Wood 2000, The Irving Lipton Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
Los Angeles, CA
Fine Art of Wood, The Bohlen Collection, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Turning Wood Into Art, The Jane & Arthur Mason Collection, Mint Museum of
Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
1999 Forms in Wood, Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
Turned Multiples, Craft Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
The Art of Craft: Contemporary Works from the Saxe Collection, M.H. de Young
Museum, San Francisco, CA
The Art of Turned Wood: Selections from the Lipton Collection, World Forestry Center,
Portland, OR
1997-98 Expressions In Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, Oakland Museum of
California, Oakland, CA
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
McAllen International, Museum, McAllen, TX
1997 Curators Focus: Turning in Context, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art,
Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2008 American Style, p. 104, April
2007 Woodworker West, profile, p.54, May/June
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
The material I use, pacific madrone burl, changes as it dries, forcing me to step back from my work and relinquish control for a short time while letting the wood find its own shape. Madrone burl, which grows along the northwest coast of the United Stated, is the wildest of all the woods I know. Not only does it have a wide range of color and texture, it resists all attempts to dry evenly. Instead it warps or cracks strongly and gets very hard when it dries. In my current work of baskets, I turn it while it is still green, while it is a pleasure to cut and handle. I make use of the warping as the wood dries to create attitude, gesture and, when grouping these shapes together, relationships. The soft surface texture is a direct result of the cutting edge of my tools and light sandblasting. Most openings are slightly burnt for contrast and to enhance their looseness. When the wood is very thin, these vessels don't crack, but when the wood is left thick, the cracking can make a very dramatic effect as well. I used linen thread to connect elements.
My objects are an attempt to tell stories. They give glimpses of possibilities or act as metaphors, serving as a transport for ideas and things alike. A little fantastic, a little odd.… Some are solely because they were a lot of fun to make. They are highly unlikely with a life of their own.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
Art for Embassies Program, Washington, DC
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
M.H. de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Royal Cultural Center, Jedda, Saudi Arabia
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
WoodTurning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Scottsdale, AZ
New West Coast Design: Contemporary Objects, San Francisco Museum of
Craft + Design, San Francisco, CA
2007-08 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
2006-08 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005-08 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis: The Art of Conceptual Craft, Selections From the Wornick
Collection, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004-07 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2006 Turning Wood into Art, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London, England,UK
Wood Now, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
Woodturning on the Edge, University of Idaho, Pritchard Gallery, Moscow, ID
Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
ARTScottsdale, WestWorld, Art & Antiques, Scottsdale, AZ
2005 Art Invitational, Great American Art Company, Tacoma, WA
Nature Transformed:Wood Art from The Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan
Art Gallery, University Center, MI
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
2004-05 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
1997-05 Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Nature Transformed, Wood Art from The Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan
Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
1997-04 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Into the Woods, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
A Tribute to Rude Osolnik: An Exhibition of Contemporary Turned Wood, Kentucky
Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
2002 Modern Bestiary: Artists View the Animal Kingdom, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts,
Racine, WI
Surface + Form, Craftwest Gallery, Perth, Australia
Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collectors' Choice, Collectors of Wood Art Forum, SOFA, Chicago, IL
2001-02 Wood Turning in North America Since 1930,
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
2001 Challenge VI - Roots: Insights & Inspirations in Contemporary Turned Objects, Berman
Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA, touring
Against the Grain: Turned and Sculpted Wood, The McAllen International Museum,
McAllen, TX
2000 Artful Wood 2000, The Irving Lipton Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
Los Angeles, CA
Fine Art of Wood, The Bohlen Collection, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Turning Wood Into Art, The Jane & Arthur Mason Collection, Mint Museum of
Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
1999 Forms in Wood, Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
Turned Multiples, Craft Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
The Art of Craft: Contemporary Works from the Saxe Collection, M.H. de Young
Museum, San Francisco, CA
The Art of Turned Wood: Selections from the Lipton Collection, World Forestry Center,
Portland, OR
1997-98 Expressions In Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, Oakland Museum of
California, Oakland, CA
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
McAllen International, Museum, McAllen, TX
1997 Curators Focus: Turning in Context, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art,
Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2008 American Style, p. 104, April
2007 Woodworker West, profile, p.54, May/June
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
The material I use, pacific madrone burl, changes as it dries, forcing me to step back from my work and relinquish control for a short time while letting the wood find its own shape. Madrone burl, which grows along the northwest coast of the United Stated, is the wildest of all the woods I know. Not only does it have a wide range of color and texture, it resists all attempts to dry evenly. Instead it warps or cracks strongly and gets very hard when it dries. In my current work of baskets, I turn it while it is still green, while it is a pleasure to cut and handle. I make use of the warping as the wood dries to create attitude, gesture and, when grouping these shapes together, relationships. The soft surface texture is a direct result of the cutting edge of my tools and light sandblasting. Most openings are slightly burnt for contrast and to enhance their looseness. When the wood is very thin, these vessels don't crack, but when the wood is left thick, the cracking can make a very dramatic effect as well. I used linen thread to connect elements.
My objects are an attempt to tell stories. They give glimpses of possibilities or act as metaphors, serving as a transport for ideas and things alike. A little fantastic, a little odd.… Some are solely because they were a lot of fun to make. They are highly unlikely with a life of their own.