Transforming the World Mind by Jeff Edwards
Marble Sculpture
13″ x 10″ x 8″
sold (private collection)
This wonderful sculpture depicts a female africanized head and salamander … and these are some of the oldest symbols known to mankind.
Perhaps the most profound meanings of the salamander stem from observation in nature. The symbolism often deals with transformation, intuition and motion. Salamanders are symbolic of spirituality, emotion, shadows, secrets, dreams, intuition, camouflage and even psychic abilities.
The salamander comes to those who are in need of change in their lives. The salamander is an evolutionary feat to observe, and as such, it asks us to evolve in our own lives.
Jeff quarried the stone himself, as he frequently does from favored local marble deposits. Several pieces of sculpture came from this same piece of stone, although there is a remarkable color difference between the three I’ve seen.
Sweathearts Are Never Parted by Jeff Edwards
Grey Flecked Marble 16″x14″x6.5″
$3200
What is the true nature of love and who can define it?
To the lover or beloved, the mystery of communion between two hearts is a miracle to be experienced, not a puxxle to be solved. When one heart pulses its message of love to a receptive other, photons of light-energy are released, and a sacred pathway of communication is established. The bond thus forged is more powerful than any other force on the planet
In a world which too often substitutes cheap sentiment for the trials and joys of real love, only the lovers themselves have the power to transcend mundane concerns, and reach for the divine.
in this exquisite sculpture, Edwards captures the essence of two hearts that have opened to each other, allowing themselves to join in love, while retaining independent identities
text by Renee Romancia
Painted Horse – Jeff Edwards
13″ x 16″ x 6″ Aggregate Marble
(sold) private collection
An amazing piece of marble, ribbons of color lace through it, this is BC stone at it’s best. Jeff’s emotive depiction is quite effective at conveying the timeless beauty of the horse.
Jeff Edwards – Goddess
Marble (locally quarried stone)
Approximately 14″ x 12″ x 8.5″
$1600
Jeff is a local fixture in Ucluelet, and quite literally a household name. It rare that a sculptor meets with this level of regional recognition.
Although he’s best known for amazing wildlife portrayals, we’ve asked him specifically for anything that’s ‘not a bear or a whale‘. It’s not that I don’t love his wildlife, it’s just that he’s had long standing relationships with a number of galleries in the area and I feel strongly that we don’t want to take anything away from them.
I’m not at all surprised by Jeff’s other forms, they show the other side of him; a sensitive, sophisticated, thoughtful artist … and besides, they’re gorgeous.
Sea Spiral by Jeff Edwards
Marble Sculpture
Approximately 11″ x 11″ x 8″
$1800
The spiral is one of the most mysteriously beutiful shapes in the universe, and it is also one of the most commen. From spiral galaxies to ocean waves to the structure of DNA, nature uses the spiral to succinctly encode complex information into meaningful relationship.
In the flowing lines of this small, elegant sculpture, Edwards captures nature’s spiral at the moment of its origin. Is it coincidence that we humans find this shape so beautiful?
text by Renee Romancia
It’s no secret that this particular piece is one of my favorites. It’s quite thin, and well registered, but it’s the outer oxidized and sun bleached edge of the boulder that Jeff has used so purposely to accentuate the shape of this sea spiral that is so impressive. Jeff is a crab fisherman and his connection and love for the ocean is quite apparent in his marine mammal sculptures, but this form is more stylised, perhaps more refined than the naturalist pieces.
Jeff Edwards is a sculptor who lives and works in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island’s west coast. He is a native of B.C. with roots tracing back to Europe. He is also a commercial fisherman from a long line of fisherman on his father’s side stretching to Nfld. Many of his sculptures reflect his ocean environment and the wild area where he grew up.
Jeff began sculpting in native species of wood. He was inspired to start sculpting in marble by the beauty of the local Clayoquot Sound marble deposits.
Each sculpture starts with Jeff trekking around the mountainside to find a stream run boulder to suit the subject and bringing it back to his studio. No piece is ever identical in colour or pattern for this reason. He finishes each sculpture to perfection and hand polishes to a natural hard lustre.
About his work:
“My subjects are often inspired by my background, but their poses may catch me by surprise, suddenly appearing, perhaps echoing my own inner state at the time. Sometimes they work their way out of the stone, changing as I go. They are seldom meticulously sketched, modeled, or blueprinted in advance. I feel my better sculptures just pop up, which of course they didn’t.”
“I enjoy the physical work with the marble, revealing its colours, watching the subject come alive under the diamond blade. Usually the finished piece falls short of the original vision so I go on to another although in someone else’ eyes I may have succeeded. I enjoy the process of juggling and combining the elements of balance and rhythm, colour, line and curve into the finished sculpture. There is a real pleasure in the craftsmanship”.
“The real quest however, is to capture that original emotion in the stone so that I can look at the finished sculpture and say ,”yes that’s what I wanted to express.”
Posts tagged Jeff Edwards
