Daniel Mack’s New Work

I really enjoyed seeing Daniel Mack’s new work at the outside in gallery in Piermont NY. Daniel Mack  has been working with drift wood found in the Hudson for 30 years. He is famous for his chairs made out of oars and other found pieces that are in a number of museum’s permanent collections. 
Recently to balance his architecture works which are long term projects and jobs  that don’t satisfy his need for artistic freedom he started sculpting smaller pieces of wood into human shapes and making imaginary tools.  He told me that he started this new body of work for 2 reasons:  Larger pieces of wood became harder to find in the Hudson and most importantly his wife turned 55 which is the age, he explains, when women come into their own creativity.  Social pressure is no longer ruling their lives and their deeper creative personality comes out, mixing masculine and feminine attributes; multiple inner “heads” develop and coexist. The tools are made from driftwood, feathers and other material.  He says that in time, the purposes of these tools will reveal themselves and keeps them in tool pouch.
Mack works with children and terminally ill patients and they participate in the making of some of these pieces as collages and ensemble of tools which are found useful in relieving some psychological needs.
The pieces are spirited and vibrant alone or as a group. He complains that the art world sees the evolution of his work as a dichotomy and is not supportive of it as if he should continue making furniture the rest of his life. I think his work, old and new is meaningful and  worth collecting.
Read more about his work, writing and teaching and visit his studio in Warwick, NY http://www.danielmack.com/