George Hendrickson

Solo Exhibition
A Fossil Imagined
April 4 - May 13, 2022

2022 Exhibition Sponsor: Bank of Utica

"Prismatic Ooze", acrylic resin, mica powders, alcohol inks, glass and shells

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

A Fossil Imagined is a collection of artwork by sculptor and artisan George Hendrickson that was created during the pandemic. These artworks represent a wide array of mediums, and are a morbid examination of past extinctions.

BIOGRAPHY

GEORGE HENDRICKSON is an artisan and sculptor who resides in Westmoreland, New York. He has served as Sculpture Space’s Studio Manager/Technician since 2014. He attended Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute School of Art (now MWPAI/Pratt) and Utica College (now Utica University), concentrating in ceramics and sculpture. His sculptural work was displayed at the Everson Museum’s 2008 biennial, and he has a permanent piece installed at the Griffiss International Sculpture Park. Over the years, he has regularly donated work to Sculpture Space’s annual “Chair”ity auction, which is now in private collections. Prior to his work at Sculpture Space, George served as the lead craftsman in Meyda Tiffany’s Old Forge department, combining metalwork and stained glass to help design and create iconic pieces produced by the company.

Born into a military family, George moved around the world throughout his childhood, never staying in one place for more than 2-4 years. His upbringing gave him a unique opportunity to experience many diverse cultures as a resident, if only temporarily. Immersion in global arts and culture during his formative years led to his expansive aesthetic, and desire to explore many different paths and media for his personal work. Other influences on his work include his time living in the American southwest during the 1990s. While working as a designer, carver and caster for a jewelry shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he was struck by the stark beauty of the high desert.

In addition to his expertise with a variety of sculptural media, including concrete and architectural metalwork, George has a wide range of technical skills. He has worked in sound engineering, stage lighting and set design, sheet metal fabrication, artisan blacksmithing and forging, welding and construction, carpentry, electrical wiring, stained glass, management and event planning.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"Nature has a way of drawing me into its smallest detail. I'm constantly examining textures and patterns everywhere I go as well as exploring the world of the macroscopic. My intent as I create is to bring what I'm seeing into a more abstracted space. At the same time I'm looking and thinking about the living world of the microscopic and imagining altered paths that life could have taken. This has led me to developing an alternative fossil record of sorts in my work. I've always been drawn to the work of paleontologists and how they fit the bits of fossils they discover into a fuller understanding of the world in which they once lived. This is what I'm attempting to emulate in my work.

I tend to choose steel and concrete, two very industrial materials, and try to treat them in a way that looks and feels organic. In a sense transforming them into what you can imagine being left behind by the death of a creature millions of years ago. To solidify these creatures in my mind I've been building the world they lived in both through sculpture and drawings/paintings. Developing an alternate history for them as well as a fully developed environment. The construction of that history adds continuity in the forms I create and a story that can be explored.

I'm currently choosing materials that will allow me to work on a smaller scale with my sculptures, more of a maquette size, as well as getting back into pastel both soft and oil. This allows me to quickly work through ideas while following a theme. I look forward to creating an interactive environment in a gallery-like setting that will allow viewers to experience the world in which my imagined fossil record may have lived."