With my series: "Checkerboard is so in right now" each work has its own individual title and focus but all of the “checker” works stemmed from the overarching idea of checkerboard being “on trend” and the funny relationship between fine art and interior design/trends.The checkerboard (and notions of the grid in general) carries such loaded history (to ancient civilizations even) and can be seen throughout contemporary work as well, one example being recent works by Rebecca Morris. Upon closer inspection these works reveal "the failings of the grid,” as the squares are imperfectly cut with scissors and sides skew. 

My pieces are composed of materials in my path and experiences building and designing our home last year and the basic components of making a typical stretched canvas such as stretcher keys and picture wire. I'm now looking to my leftover marble tiles from my home, swatches of fabric for window treatments, and as always, my own work dismantled, cut apart and made new. Over the last few years I've relied upon my own work as my material and I've now moved into my collection of works on paper I tore down in 2018 before moving, but I’m playing with the grid and squares as opposed to strips.  My sculptural wall works are also extensions of “Stabilize series” as the “beads” are small leftover strips of my paintings rolled and tied with strings of the canvas. I initially began making these beads in 2020 with the leftover parts making my Stabilize strip works.

I'm intrigued by the layering effect of gestural marks, the solid grid, and how to make subtle moves to push and pull between this interaction, including binding the frame to the work so it can not be removed. I’m thinking about play, moments of simplification and figurative "chess" like relic pieces.

Please check out my Instagram page for up to date works in process and new works @vbrucewoodward as well as the Sculpture tab.