Joseph Wheelwright (1948 - 2016)

Joseph Wheelwright, a man most comfortable in nature, was a master carver of Sticks, Stones & Bones. He was always exploring wherever he travelled, especially on the beach, and in Vermont where he spent much of his time during the summer.  Since childhood Wheelwright was a collector of objects, both small and large – shells, stones of all sizes, sticks and even entire trees.  While at Yale University, he evolved from studying medicine to art and subsequently went to the Rhode Island School of Design where he received an MFA in sculpture.

Wheelwright’s work is often daring in scale: boulders became faces, animals or fish, creatures not with human features; and full-grown trees turned upside down with the root ball as the head became giant tree figures walking the lands.  Small branches became twig people, alone or with a partner, full of energy and motion. Wheelwright found the spirit in all of his materials and created sculptures into which he gave a soul.