Thomas Shields' Objects in Wood | Artist's Statement | Contact Info

            The world I see is flat.   I have two eyes which both wander and never see the same thing at the same time.   This creates monoscopic vision and negates the judgement of depth.   This has influenced my life since I was born, and that influence is most apparent in my art.

            This unique visual trait is what led me to pursue painting and drawing at a young age.   I see depth in the world the same way a painter creates the illusion of it.   I use linear perspective, overlap, and clarity to see depth in a flat world.   I slowly discovered woodworking and gradually stopped painting to devote more time to wood.   I quickly realized there was a whole world of knowledge and skill needed to properly use wood as a medium.   I thoroughly embraced this challenge and devoted myself to this fascinating new material. Ten years later I am still learning about wood, and enjoying all of its difficulties.   However, the painter, and the medium's use of depth, has never left me.

            Making a living as a woodworker has led me to building countless pieces of furniture, cabinets, built-ins, and other functional works.   Throughout these projects I have further honed my skill as a craftsperson, but more importantly I have   developed a relationship with the material.   Wood is one of the few materials used by artists which was once a living thing.   This   weighs heavy on my shoulders as a woodworker, and I have found ways to alleviate this burden.   Recycling.   While pulling boards out of abandoned mills and off of barns I've witnessed a history revealing itself to me on the surface of each board.     The nail holes and previous cuts become a visual indicator of the past use of each board.   The use by humans as well as the life and death of a living thing.    I started to look closer and saw the past move into the wood.   I started seeing growth, seasonal cycles, age, and decay.   Early wood and late wood stopped being minor color differences and spalting became more than mere marks on a board.   

            This inherent content in the material has provided me with a springboard off of which to develop larger statements.   By combining various objects with the content embodied in wood, and visible on its surface, I am able to share my views on subjects with the viewer.   I am hoping to make them think.   

            Beyond making a statement I am also showing the unique way in which I view the world.   I have always loved pattern, and it is very prominent in my work.   I use pattern as a means to contrast the grain and color and bring out the distinctive traits of each piece and species.   Most important in these patterns, however, is depth.   The depth that I cannot see in the world around me.   I take what is traditionally a three dimensional material and use it to make two dimensional objects which create the illusion of being three dimensional.   The illusion of depth, the reality of flatness.