Dave Roth

How does your environment inform your art?
Feeling comfortable in a work space is very important to me, but overall it has to be a place where work can get done. I’ve had lots of studios over the years, and some have been really small. They all seem to get filled, and they all seem to change organically as I inhabit them. I’m not a neat freak, but it is important to be organized. A messy shop can be risky, and it’s just a drag to be constantly searching for things, or have them get damaged because there isn’t a place for them.

I also like to bring decorative elements into the space, because it’s important to have a variety of things in my field of view when I’m making art. I tend to curate them in a casual way, and those elements move in and out was well.

Describe your art, in a hundred words or less.
This is tough because I’m between bodies of work. The last show centered around the mysteries, joys, frustrations, and challenges of human interactions. I worked with the ampersand as a foil for this subject matter: it’s sort of a cypher in a way. Those pieces were painted on and in found boxes and also had wood constructions in them. Most of the boxes were “letter boxes,” or “in/out” desk boxes, which felt right. There were also some other box types, and some other symbols like houses and hands.

The next body of work is likely to be a series of absurd machines, but that’s subject to change of course.

What is your medium?
It varies. When the subject is fine woodworking it’s typically mahogany, walnut, maple, or poplar, depending on the requirements. My shop is too small to be serious about finishing, so that step usually involves polyurethane or tung oil. It hasn’t happened yet, but if professional spray finish is needed I’ll send it out. There’s a reason people do that for a living.

I’ve been taking a break from fine art lately, but those pieces are usually made from found boxes and various found and constructed materials that are made to fit inside of them. I use acrylic paint most of the time, and there’s a lot of thin and thick layering - sanding, painting, sanding, and so on. The artwork is always sculptural, but I also love photography and toy with the idea of putting a show or a book together.

What are you currently working on?
Lately I’ve been taking on fine woodworking commissions. I’m building the mantel and plinths for a fireplace right now.

Name one piece of art, by any artist, that blew your mind or otherwise inspired you.
Oh boy… For me it all started with the Pieta. My parents took us to Europe when I was 10, and seeing that piece completely changed my life.

Why art/wood work?
I love working with my hands, and I also love the puzzle making / solving aspect of woodworking. Lately I’m really enjoying the idea that I’m working in service to others, and the things I make have real utility.

I can’t answer the question about art, except to say “what’s water?"

Dave's website
instagram.com/rothworks_studio