John Stickney

All of the pieces Stickney creates are handmade and one of a kind. His carvings reflect his love of the grain, texture, and appearance of wood, as well as the colors he incorporates into his pieces. Stickney has worked on relief carvings of paintings by artists he admires, including Michelangelo, whose paintings read as sculpture.  He has created large panels of album covers of bands from his youth. Recently he has focused more on the human figure.

     Stickney’s furniture designs have included tables, beds, desks, lamps, a rocking horse, and many other architectural and interior furnishings.

He has worked extensively in some of the more exotic hardwoods, for their color, grain, hardness, ability to take a high finish and their capacity to be carved with fine detail.   Recently, he has worked extensively on Redwood, using recycled tight grain pieces, mostly from old growth redwood fence posts and old decking. For larger pieces, he has also used basswood, as well as jelutong, maple, oak and mahogany.  Basswood, maple and jelutong show little grain, allowing control, and are nearly white, allowing exploration of color on their surfaces: ink, stain, or paint.

     John’s background in carving started as whittling at campfires as a child and found its footing while carving small pieces for friends at Berkeley High. After college at Humboldt state and UCSB, he taught at the University of Georgia for 35 years and has moved back to the coast of California to carve full time.