Using a chainsaw, Derbes first cuts blocks of wood from a variety of tree species, including elm, poplar, and maple. Continuing to carve each block into a unique and dynamic shape, he meticulously chisels, paints, sands, and burnishes each piece in order to achieve a variety of complex geometric visual systems, planes, patterns, and patinas. With a palette that ranges from vibrantly rich jewel tones to subdued neutrals, Derbes uses pattern, shape, and shifts of scale to playfully and unexpectedly alter perspective and space.

This body of work is the artists’ homage to skateboarding and the architectural features that skateboarding utilizes. Colorful grids, fields, and bands adorn the surfaces of these tromp l’oeil objects, shaped paintings and sculptures.  Function, however, gives way to fanciful abstraction. In several pieces, the ramp/bank/box/steps only serve to anchor the form to the earth, then yield to the growth of connected forms, hinting at the artist’s practice of abstraction.

Inspired by farm stands and roadside sellers, Clark fabricated an ‘art farm-stand at the end of his (rural) driveway where he regularly displays (and posts/sells through social media) recently completed artworks of a wide variety of styles, genres and mediums. What began as a semi-serious business experiment quickly became a focus in the artist’s career. This practice of tending the farm stand ensures and encourages a fast-paced studio environment of constant experimentation.

---