Barry Biesanz

Apdo. 47-1250 Escazú, Costa Rica

Tel: (Costa Rica) (011)(506) 2289-4337 Fax 2226-6184

Medium: Wood; boxes and turned bowls

Personal data: born 1948, Resident in Costa Rica since 1971

Artist Statement: I design for a timeless, almost Shaker simplicity with great attention to joinery and finish. I use not only traditional geometrical forms and proportions, but also asymmetry, and, in the bowls, natural edges and defects. I want my pieces to feel good in the hand, so all edges are rounded and all hidden surfaces smooth. The natural edge of a bowl and its heartwood/sapwood interface express underlying fractal harmonies. I don't look to impose a shape, but to uncover one that reflects and interacts with these. I feel the people who buy my work are co-creators, and deserve my gratitude for allowing me to do the work I love.

Shows

• "The Language of Wood", Colombian Center, New York, June 1994
• Glendeven Gallery, Little River, CA August 1994
• Taipei Int. Exhibition of Traditional Arts and Crafts, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 1993
• White Bird Gallery, Cannon Beach, Oregon, 1993
• Eastern Shore Art Center, Fairhope, Alabama, 1992
• Olga de Amaral, Bogotá, Colombia, 1992
• Latin America Craft Exhibit, Paris, France, 1990
• "Turned Wood", Invitational woodturning show, Hoffman Gallery, Portland, Oregon, April 1989. Show included Ellsworth, Stubbs, Moulthrop.
• Tokyo Trade Fair, Tokyo, Japan, 1985. Represented Costa Rica
• Costa Rican Craft Exposition: In Search of Excellence" March, 1986
• "Caribbean Basin Craft Show", White House, Washington, D.C.
• "Barry Biesanz" US - Costa Rica Cultural Center, April 1984
• "Artesania en Madera: Barry Biesanz", Museo Plaza de la Cultura, San José, Costa Rica, June 1983

Environmental projects

• Distributing rare hardwood saplings since 1989
• Managed 120 hectare family farm containing primary rainforest and endangered squirrel monkeys since 1971
• Habitat restoration of pastures and secondary forests

Publications

• The Dallas Morning News, July 1995
• "American Association of Woodturners", September 1995
• Work reviewed in the "New York Times", August 23, 1987
• Cover story "International Woodworking", Winter 1990
• "La Nacion" Shopping section, September 15-21, 1992
• Also: International Herald Tribune, Tico Times, Costa Rican Outlook, Costa Rica Today. Magazines: Guide, Join Us, Where

Memberships

• Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP)
• American Craft Council
• American Association of Woodturners (AAWT)

Galleries include: Sansar Gallery, Washington D.C.; Illumina, Atlanta; Selo Shevel, Ann Arbor; One of a Kind, San Francisco; del Mano Gallery and Studio, Los Angeles; Glendeven, Mendocino; Contemporary Crafts, Portland; White Bird, Oregon and Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking, Seattle.

Collections

Presidents Clinton, Carter, Bush, Reagan, President Collor (Brazil), Menem (Argentina), Prime Minister Kohl (Germany), the Duke of Kent, Queen Sophia of Spain and the permanent collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. My mother has a few too...