OUT OF THE BOX

Woodcrafter Barry Okelsak creates sculptures that capture the imagination

BY MELISSA HIRSCHL

The provocative wood and glass sculptures of artist Barry Okelsak reflect his fascination with geometry, color, space, and nature – they almost dare viewers to look away.

For the past six years, Okelsak has been pursuing a labor of love – creating bold and whimsical sculptures from high-quality wood and Youghgiogheny glass from Pennsylvania. Examples of the woods he works with are quilted maple, mesquite, leopard wood, walnut burl, and roasted walnut. He adds depth with geometric shapes like stripes, repeating circles, lines, and squares.

Boxes were the precursor to Okelsak’s sculptures. “The colors just popped out,” he says. “The look of the natural wood in conjunction with glass was beautiful, and soon I started pushing the boundaries of what a box is. I wanted to start creating sculptures more than utilitarian objects.”

An electric scroll saw and Dremel allow the artist to transform the two organic materials into eclectic pieces that dazzle the eye and ignite the imagination.

Okelsak’s affinity toward design class in high school led him to enroll in the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City. His degree led to work in a diversity of fields: freelance art illustration, graphic design, web services, marketing, professional videotaping, and photography.

Twenty-five years ago, Okelsak began experimenting with wood as a hobby. “My partner and I needed a dining-room table, and I thought I’d try my hand at creating one. I wanted it to reflect the ‘arts and crafts’ movement of the early 1900s,” he says. “It was known for beautiful and well-made objects made of high-quality design inspired by nature.”

Referring to old catalogs for inspiration, Okelsak created a table devoid of screws; it was pegged, dowelled, and glued. He continued building pieces, such as stained-glass lamps, TV stands, bookcases, and cabinets with hand-hammered copper hardware. “Pretty soon, there was no more room for any more furniture,” he says. “That’s when I decided to create something smaller and portable that I could sell at galleries and shows.”

One of Okelsak’s best-selling pieces is a jewelry box enhanced with 10 luminous layers of glass, each one representing a layer of the Grand Canyon. Examples of the layers include the river, rock, upper layers of sandstone and limestone, the sky, and life on the rim. “My passion for creating and sheer love of materials is what drives me,” the artist says. “I love watching people interacting with my creations. They open the boxes because they are curious about what’s in them, and they examine my sculptures closely to feel the texture and explore the colors.”

Okelsak’s creations have been displayed at the Shemer Art Center as well as Thunderbird Art Festivals.

Learn more at www.thunderriverstudio.com.