Windfall Series II No 1

About Windfall Series II No 1

Shayne Dark has elevated the natural beauty of applewood burls by creating unique contemporary sculptures. The Canadian artist collected gnarled burls from old orchards in Prince Edward County, stripped the bark and allowed them to dry for several years. While repairing the cracks in the dried burls, Dark was reminded of the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery--Kintsugi. This philosophy views breakage and repair as part of the history of an object. Dark decided to leave most of the raw beauty of the apple wood exposed except for accenting the natural cracks in bright yellow. The burl is polished to a glossy sheen. This is the second series of Windfall sculptures.

“Dark's art is part of a desire to reconnect with his immediate universe, finding his primordial impulse in nature.” Katrie Chagnon, art historian and curator

“In his world, nature-and sculpture- is not a benign force. These works exude as much psychological charge as they do visual potency and aesthetic resonance.” David Liss, Director Emeritus MOCCA

Inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2018, Dark has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. In 2017, Dark had a solo exhibition and an artist residency at New York’s Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The same year, he had a solo exhibition at the Albright Knox, NY. Dark has received six Ontario Arts Council grants and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. His work may be found in numerous private, corporate and public collections worldwide.