Wycliffe Stutchbury & Fritz Baumann

This June, Flow is delighted to present ‘Contours’, an exhibition of artworks in wood by Wycliffe Stutchbury and Fritz Baumann. These two exceptional artists work with different processes yet the end result focuses on form and the inherent qualities of materials. 

A collection of wall pieces by Stutchbury and vessel forms by Baumann are brought together to emphasise the movement traced through the grains and paths of their work. Texture and tone are revealed through the processes of turning, carving, scorching or layering of wood. In a sense the final works take on their own shape; the artists working intuitively and rhythmically with each piece of wood.

Wycliffe Stutchbury’s delicate landscapes consider this struggle between the desire to impose form on the natural world and its unwillingness to conform. “I make mistakes, my concentration wanders, I change my mind, I can’t maintain a straight line or a perfect sphere. I find I am being pulled toward an intuitive way of working, like stacking firewood. The finished pieces are evidence of fallibility; the work becoming a study in texture, colour and process led by the nature of the material.” 

Fritz Baumann’s Japanese-inspired works are minimalist studies of nature. From carefully selected green oak trees, he searches for the hidden features within the trunk. “During the long curing process the wood loses its tension, as it bends and warps it finds its own form. If splits occur, they are fixed with dovetails to make the flaw an eye-catcher. Irregularities in the material are welcomed and emphasised which add character and beauty to the design, leading to individual and expressive final forms.”

Wycliffe Stutchbury

Wycliffe Stutchbury

Fritz Bauman

Fritz Bauman