To aficionados of musical theater, the phrase “into the woods” calls to mind the 1986 Sondheim/Lapine production that weaves together several plots from fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. As the composite narrative unfolds, Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel and others navigate a magical forest, each consumed by personal objectives replete with unexpected consequences. No such forest-haunted confusion awaits visitors at the Aiken Center for the Arts.
The “Into the Woods” exhibition on view until Jan. 16 invites the public to stroll through a “forest” of masterfully crafted wooden objects by skilled Southern artisans. The sheer size of some of the pieces is astounding.
Take, for example, a birch vase by Richard Cale. It takes a large lathe to carve such a vessel, measuring at least 4 feet tall. Cale has added visual interest to the yellow surface of the slender form by creating branchlike patterns through fractural burning.
The other two standout, large-scale pieces by Cale required no such manipulation. Cale’s bulbous “Red Oak Burl Vase” takes advantage of the abnormal growths that sometimes occur on tree trunks. The reddish-brown burl of a red oak is prized for its tight, swirling patterns, and this particular vessel showcases the irregular, knobby surface, the swirls, and the so-called “eyes” associated with burl wood.
In addition, Richard Cale’s “Sweet Gum Vase,” another elongated vessel form, features the ribbon stripes typical of this hardwo.