Claus Heinecke
Claus Heinecke, a former graphic designer and minimalist painter, explores the rhythms of line, shape, and colour in three dimensional sculpture. “Over a long career I have evolved from the discipline of the commercial design to the relative freedom of fine art”. Focusing on volume and space, Claus reveals changes in a sculpture through employing light, relief work, as well as silhouette and void detailing, to change the point of view of the presence of a sculpture.
Linking the visual rhythms of sculpture to the rhythms of music, Claus works to find a balance between aesthetic significance and dimensional construction: “I’m smitten by the object as image, adding touch to perception of image while working in three dimensional space.” Focusing greatly on wood sculpture due to its, “versatility and long lasting durability. I like that its body contains the record of a life lived over many decades. Its organic origin demands that one learn to enhance its strengths and overcome its weaknesses”.
“My wood is layed up in a shed to dry slowly over a period of years. As wood drys it shrinks slightly and in large masses this means the outside shrinks before the inside causing checks or cracks to appear on the surface. These generally do not compromise the strength of a piece. I however choose to fill them on completion of a piece with a mixture of saw dust collected from the wood mixed with epoxy resin restoring the surface integrity.
To stabilize a wood carving I coat it repeatedly with linseed oil. Mineral spirit is used to dilute the oil to affect the deepest possible penetration of the wood. The mineral spirits evaporate off leaving the linseed oil to polymerize in air and light to a substance that seals the wood rendering it less susceptible to humidity change. Sometimes I will work with a piece to enhance wood grain as a complimentary detail. In these cases I apply a final coat of tung oil (also absorbed) and finish it with a high quality paste wax (can be added to occasionally). If I find that grain distracts from the form of a piece I colour it using artists’ oil paint. Art- ists’ oils link perfectly to the linseed oil treatment of the wood owing to the common base. I use colours of only the best pigmentation to insure colour permanence. My wood sculptures are not recommended for outdoor display since moisture can cause to the wood to work.
