Artist Roger Wood was born and raised in the province of New Brunswick in Canada. Since childhood, Roger collected flotsam and jetsam that he found along the coast and started to incorporate these found pieces in his artwork.
Roger has worked in the field of construction followed by design work, specifically interior design. He started diving into art by creating whimsical assemblages that doubled as functional clocks. By the 1990s, Roger took to working part-time so he could focus more on his art. As of the year 2000, he was successful enough to be able to make a living solely from his creations.
Roger currently lives in Ontario, Canada, with his cat. Aside from artwork, he is also a passionate gardener who has transformed an ugly gravel parking lot into an oasis of flowers and shrubs. He also enjoys fixing up old cars and reading. Roger recently discussed his artistic career in an exclusive Interview.
Style
Blasting News (BN): What inspired you to become an artist and what influenced your whimsical style?
Roger Wood (RW): When I was studying design at Ryerson University back in the 1970s, I discovered my first art heroes: Louise Nevelson and Joseph Cornell. I was so taken with them that I started doing knock offs of their works in the evenings and weekends. Gradually I developed my own style.
The whimsy comes from a childlike wonder and as an antidote to my own overly serious view of the world.
BN: How many works of art have you made and what kinds of venues have you displayed your work in?
RW: I make functional art (handmade, whimsical, one of a kind timepieces) and fine art. The clocks have kept me solvent since 1999 but I’ve been back to making fine art assemblages in the past year and a half, with 72 so far.
If you include the clocks, more than 6000. The clocks sell mostly wholesale and I have galleries all over the U.S. and Canada. For those I used to show at a huge wholesale craft show in Philadelphia, The Buyers Market of American Craft, but the recession killed that off. Because the assemblages are recent, I’ve only shown them at The Hoop Gallery in Hamilton, Ontario, The Oeno Gallery in Bloomfield, Ontario and Artexpo in New York.
BN: Do you have any favorite pieces and how long do they take to create?
RW: Golly, I have a lot of favorites but my all-time favorite piece is “The Astrological Clock” which took several weeks to create!
Creations
BN: What is the most rewarding thing about having a career as an artist and what advice can you give to people who are trying to achieve the same?
RW: There are several rewarding things about being an artist. There’s the illusion of freedom, e.g. I can take time off whenever I want (but rarely get to do so). There is the pleasure in being my own boss. (I was never fond of taking orders from someone else). And, of course, there is the personal expression angle. I’m not a good verbal communicator but can get my ideas across visually.
For advice, I usually tell aspiring artists to develop their own style. It’s hard work doing that; we have to be self-critical and brutally honest.
BN: What have been your career highlights, what are your biggest goals, and what events are upcoming?
RW: Career highlights? One of my galleries sold a clock to Lauren Bacall and they were so excited that they called me right away to tell me about it! My biggest goal is simply to survive as an artist. I have no special events coming up at the moment but will promote the assemblages wherever I can. I know it’s necessary but I really hate marketing!
