Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay McDougall.
Hi Jay, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have chosen to live and work in rural Minnesota. I work out of a studio on the same property as the home we built on the beautiful Ottertail River. I’m thankful to have been able to earn a living as an artist (along with my wife who is also a visual artist) while living and raising our family in a small-town setting. We are both very involved in our community where we enjoy a flourishing culture of arts and a supportive group of fellow artists. Utilizing material that is very accessible is compatible with my goal of practicing, maintaining, and enriching a sustainable lifestyle. It also allows me to work with a material with which I share intimacy. These are the trees that I have played and worked on my entire life. I am focused on efficiency in my forms where less can be more and have achieved the discipline necessary to preclude the overworking of my material. I continue to challenge myself to keep moving and to remain fully engaged in my process. My work progresses in steps or layers, with each one clearing a path to the next level.
This allows me to remain relatively sane and highly motivated. My career, family, home, surroundings, and the objects I create have truly become one entity. They are inseparable and define who and what I am. I regularly tell my story, explain my work, and advance the case for “Artist” as a viable career path to local students and service clubs as well as speaking at many national events where I exhibit my work.
I opened my studio in 1982 with my wife and fellow artist Cindy. My early years were spent designing and building original pieces of furniture. I have also been a contributing writer for Fine WoodWorking Magazine. My current body of sculpted work is the distillation of this career spent pursuing the economy of line and form. I have received numerous national awards for excellence in my field while maintaining an exhibition schedule that includes the most prestigious venues across the country. I was selected as a 2008 McKnight Foundation Fellowship recipient. I also serve in many roles as an artist mentor and as a juror for national art shows and events.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of my greatest ongoing challenges is sourcing logs, this is the critical first step to creating my work. I have to locate and examine many fallen trees in order to find the logs with the unique characteristics required to produce my sculpture.
Once located I have to get the logs to my studio and then mill them into thick (5′ – 8″) carving blanks. The logs can weigh up to 3000# and the individual carving blanks up to 400#. In reality, my process begins as a logging operation with all of its attendant equipment and physicality.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My sculpture is produced in the reductive method of sculpture where the material is removed to reveal the form, much like the process used to carve marble. I strive to cut away all that is ephemeral to yield only that which is essential. I chose wood as my carving material for its eternal warmth and life. These qualities serve to enhance the fluidity of many of my pieces while reinforcing the primal essence of others.
I select distinctive logs from hardwood trees that have already fallen or been marked for removal near my studio in rural Minnesota. All of my pieces are carved from a single block of material. This distinguishes my work from most other wood collectibles in that it involves no glue-ups or joinery. All of my pieces are free-hand carved and do not involve any lathe work, yet another feature that solidly positions my work in a very select group. All of the sculpture features the element of contrast. The wall pieces feature steel backs with a dark, mottled patina that I have developed; all vessels and trays have an underside treated with black aniline dye; the roughly carved “Elements” series include areas of finely sanded wood and dark steel stands.
These contrasting elements bring a soothing rhythm to my work. My pieces have the effect of connecting with viewers at a visceral level; they touch something deep inside. These forms surpass transient trends and styles; they are timeless in their classic contemporary beauty and bring with them a calming presence that fits seamlessly into wide-ranging architectural styles.
How do you define success?
Making an honest living on my own terms.
I’ve always been driven by working for myself and creating objects. To have made a living and raised a family from our artwork has been incredibly rewarding. I find myself in a position that I had always dreamed of, I just didn’t know if or how it would happen.
Pricing:
- Vessels and trays $600 – $2,200
- Wall Sculpture $5,000 – $15,000
- Elements Series $1,500 – $5,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jaymcdougall.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaymcdougallart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayMcDougallArtist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaymcdougall3810
