Art Talk: Guest Artist Denise M. Schanz

About the Artist: Denise M. Schanz is a sculptor, working in stone, wood, steel, iron and bronze. She studied Architecture and Urban Planning, which led her in the direction of sculpture. During her formative years, Schanz traveled to Cuba, Russia, Australia, Europe, Hawaii and Sri Lanka where she experienced sacred lands, spaces of churches and temples, thus enriching and informing the content of her work. In Schanz’s own words, “I am a carver of stone and wood and cast in iron and bronze. My work is the result of intrinsic listening and researching the anatomy of the ear bone structures, decoding, interpreting and connecting to something larger than life.“ When searching for blocks of stone or discarded live edge wood to carve, the process is reciprocal: As she “finds” the stone or wood, it ”finds” her. “This is when the dialog and the dance begins”. A form will emerge, evolve, pull itself out of its cocooned block of stone or wood. “The pace is meditative, quiet, inquisitive and trusting. I am stretching the stone as I would imagine the sounds of bells or singing bowls tapering off to the distance. A reverence between myself and the form has changed places. I am the form and the form becomes me!”