Derek Bencomo

Derek Bencomo an artist-in-residence in the Center's 2009 Windgate ITE program, is based in Maui, Hawaii. He writes: "My work expresses my harmony with nature and life in Hawaii, successfully reflected in the movement and visual rhythm I find in the wind, water and mountains. Never figurative, my work balances mass and abstract lines, capturing a sense of motion with motion while the sculptural aspects mirror the figure of the wood. Over the last decade my work has shown dramatic growth from the tradition of wood turning, where bowl or vessel is the norm, to a sculptural approach that is distinctly original. My current works feature lines that curve and stretch out in three dimensions against the subtle backdrop of wood grain. The form, line and pattern are all abstract, reflecting the natural beauty of a wave, stretch of beach and horizon. 

I think what is exciting about my work now is that I have moved in a direction that focuses on the sculptural elements of my work without being inhibited by the limits that the lathe obviously places on an object."