Pesso, Eric
A Brooklynite my entire life, originally in East New York, then Park Slope, and finally in Ditmas Park since 2003, I’ve been carving wood here for more than 50 years. Why wood? I’ve worked in stone which has its own unique beauty and character. But for me, wood is alive. I love the feel of it, the smell, the texture, the grain, even the imperfections you don’t find until you’re deep in.
Working with local woods – oak, maple, ash, cherry, walnut – I like to think of myself as a recycler, transforming something that’s going to be dumped or chipped and recycling it into something alive and beautiful. I gravitate towards airy, free-flowing forms with lots of movement and negative space. The ideas may come from something I see in nature, from another work of art, but mostly from simply doodling with clay or wire until something compelling emerges.
I feel most comfortable working in what I think of as the mid-size range. A typical log would be, say, 24-48” long and 16-30” in diameter. Each piece is carved by hand from a single log with chisel and mallet. Full disclosure: I will use power tools, even a chain saw, when called for. But more often than not, it’s all hand tools.
There are two primary influences in my work. First, I’m in awe of the great masters of 20th Century abstract and organic sculpture – Moore, Brancusi, Arp, Noguchi, Hepworth, among others. But my work is equally informed by my interest in mathematics (I long ago received a BS and MS in Math from Brooklyn College). I am intrigued by the beauty and elegance of symmetric and geometric forms, clearly evident in a great deal of my work.
To a large extent, I am self-taught as an artist. My formal art education consists of one sculpture class at Brooklyn College and two at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, all in the early 1970’s. It was my good fortune that at the Brooklyn Museum I was taken under the wing of master stone and wood carver Masami Kodama, who invited me to work in his studio for two years, and taught me everything I know about wood, tools, and the techniques of carving. Sadly, he died in 2023. I am forever in his debt.
Two things I’m particularly proud of in my career as an artist: in 2015, I won first prize for sculpture in the Salmagundi Club’s Juried Show in Greenwich Village. And in 2012, the Brooklyn Museum sponsored the GO project, a borough-wide Open Studio Tour in which visitors were invited to vote on-line for their favorite artists. Of the 1800+ participating artists, I was one of the top ten vote-getters.
I’ve been carving for over 50 years and at age 78 (as of 2025) I still consider myself a mid-career artist with many more ideas to explore and many more years in which to do so.
