Stuart Ross Snider

I have always been fascinated by mountain landscapes and the colors and patterns in nature; the movement and line of water over river rocks, lenticular cloud contours that hang over mountaintops, and the flowing curves and whorls of wood grain that form the natural biologic structure of trees. I find a meaningful relationship between the inner, structural beauty and mystery of trees, and out own inner anatomical and mindful and creative spirit. After a 30 year medical practice in neurology, I changed careers and rediscovered a long ago calling from my childhood to work with wood. Fundamentally, I am a self-taught sculptor, but am grateful for the support of Thunderhead Press and Virtu Studio, Inc. of Nevada for providing me with intuitive guidance and and visionary studio exposure.

My artistic endeavors include six indoor sculpture installations in the last four years. I exhibit my artwork internationally and am represented by PrimoPiano Atalier in Lecce, Italy where I participate in quarterly invitationals. I have also exhibited by invitation at the Siena Art Insititute (founded by J. Paul Getty III) in Siena, Italy; The Arizona Science Center (solo) and The Phoenix Center for the Arts (solo) in Phoenix, AZ; Art Intersection Agllery, Gilbert, AZ; The Process Art House in Amarillo, TX; Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens Gallery in Tucson, AZ; Exagere Art Gallery, Expose-Nolo, Mardi Gras Citywide Billboard Exhibit sponsored by CBS in New Orleans, LA.

I am inspired by a primal force the exists within high altitude forests. There is a spirit in coniferous trees that reveals itself in objective form 10-50 years after the trees have burned, died and fallen to the forest floor, and the outer bark and pulp layers have decayed away. I harvest the nearly fossilized inner heartwood log skeletons which are buried in the detritus earth. The graceful and sweeping lines, flowing curves and whorls of grain of the trees inner core are archetypes of artistic expression.

I use hand and power tools, resin suspensions, color pigments, metallic mica and holographic and pearlescent powders to develop layers of patina in my constructions. I work intimately with the wood forms by my intuitive senses until their spiritual light scintillates anew in a resurrected life that is entirely different from the excavated heartwood. My sculpture is a means of recovering the inner spirit of the tree and forest, and revealing its' extant artistic nature. Personally, my re-creations of trees are the most believable representation of life after death that I have encountered.

Lastly, as a Vietnam veteran, the mountains wilderness is also a source of solace and a sense of reinforcement that life is constantly anew.

www.facebook.com/stuartross.snider

www.natural-selection-sculpure.com