ABOUT THE ARTIST
Bob Latven, better known as “Bud,” was born in Philadelphia in 1949. Today he maintains a studio in Tajique, NM. Latven has been a woodturner since 1982 and claims to have found his way to woodturning by chance. The mastery achieved through his long career is evident in his work. He is captivated by modernism and among other inspirations, cites the Italian Memphis Group and its leader, Ettore Sottsass. Early Greek vessels and the primitive pottery of the Anasazi Indians are important influences, as well.
ABOUT THE WORK
His early work was often turned from burl and root structure materials. Through the use of laminate and segmented construction techniques, he is able to combine various woods in a single piece. Hardwoods lend his pieces a stable foundation from which he is able to create his stylized forms. He refers to the process of incorporating the hardwoods as “staving.”
His current work is focused on an exploration of form and is purely sculpture. The “Torsion” series represents the most recent development in this work. The parabolic forms of these pieces permit a very dynamic study of space, form and mass.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 Collect 2006, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Woodturning on the Edge, Prichard Art Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow , ID
2005 Artists’ Reflections, The Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, PA
2004 SoQ:Contemporary Art in Southern New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM
2003 “One Step Back, Two Steps Forward,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2000 “Studio Wood/ The New Frontier,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1997 “The Renwick at 25, The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Albuquerque Museum, NM
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN
Fine Arts Museum of the South, Mobile, AL
Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
The Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
