Roy

Holmberg

Roy Holmerg works as a sculptor, woodworker, and blacksmith; creating artworks that combine hand forged iron with finely crafted natural materials.  Roy's work is diverse; from elegant wooden bowls to fanciful constructions like the motorcycle shown here.  This unique chopped Harley is entitled "The Electroride", and is constructed using turned and polished wood, vacuum cleaner parts, assorted other found objects, and neon.

Roy is interested in the juxtaposition of natural materials, and the emotional effects created by combining them.  I first saw one of Roy's pieces in 1997, a graceful stand of kelp shaped entirely from hand forged iron, its base artfully moored to a heavy gray stone cobble.

The piece stuck in my mind because of its elegance and apparent lightness, with leaves suspended as though drifting in a gentle ocean current.  Like most of Roy's work, the piece combines craftsmanship with an appreciation for nature and natural materials.  This year, I had the pleasure of seeing the piece on display in Roy's impressive Craftsman style home in Bonny Doon.  

The most noteable detail of the work is the weathered gray beach stone that forms its base.  Like the root bundle of the actual plant; seldom seen except by divers or by beachcombers after a storm; the stone is firmly wrapped in the iron roots of the kelp, resulting in a delightful combination of organic pattern  and functional design.  

 The majority of Roy's work for Open Studios 99 consisted of a series of wooden and ceramic vessels, accented with hand crafted iron fittings inspired by the Craftsman style. The ceramic works are a collaboration between Roy and his brother, who provided the heavy, well balanced, stoneware bowls and vases which Roy has embellished with iron.

In addition to the ceramic pieces, Roy has crafted a number of wooden vessels with similar fittings in black walnut, redwood, teak, and oak.  

Both the wooden and ceramic pieces are finished with hoops of iron at the rim, much like a hoop around a barrel, or a "repair" on a primitive eating or drinking bowl.  The final detail on each piece is a craftsman style clasp that holds the hoop to the vessel, and adds a satisfying graphic detail to each piece. 

Roy's work shows of his expertise working with a variety of materials, and a personal joy in doing the work.  He is clearly a craftsman, with a strong interest in his materials, and a desire to understand and master traditional techniques, and in the process to create something new. 

 To read Roy's artist's statement

Click here.