Accession Number
2002/2.131

Title
B2125 Wall Sculpture

Artist(s)
Dennis Elliott

Object Creation Date
1999

Medium & Support
bigleaf maple burl and rose quartz

Dimensions
27 x 35 x 4 in. (68.58 x 88.9 x 10.16 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Robert M. and Lillian Montalto Bohlen

Label copy
Dennis Elliott’s interest in turning wood began when his wife presented him with the gift of a lathe attachment for his power drill. They had both hoped that a woodturning hobby would provide relief from the stress associated with his career drumming for the band Foreigner.
While initially he separated his two vocations so that his reputation as a famous musician would not influence how people saw his wood art, Elliott has now become a well-known wood artist in his own right for his series of vessels and wall sculptures, of which B2125 Wall Sculpture is an example. The idea for these pieces grew out of functional platters that could be hung on a wall when not in use. They radiate out from a central inclusion of a semi-precious stone, metal, or exotic wood, towards the natural, irregular edge of the burl. Elliott is highly conscious of the contrast between the ephemeral nature of music and the longevity of his wood art: “Playing music on stage is instantaneous. Any movement you make is done and gone. It’s just a feeling at that time. But with wood, the vessel I turn will probably outlive me.”
from the exhibition Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection, June 12 – October 3, 2004

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.