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Jözef Sumichrast began his career as a draftsman and designer, became a painter and then a sculptor. Sumichrast makes his sculptures from flat rounded forms that recall natural elevations and depressions in typographical maps. The use of materials is a very important aspect of his artistic creation. The "plaster" pieces of his work are made from a plastic polymer coating that is formed over a laminated cardboard and sheet metal base. Sumichrast states, " The strength and limitations of these materials help determine my work."
The artist knows horses, for he rides them in the Pacific Ocean on family vacations at remote Mexican beaches. His pedestal-size sculptures seem buoyant and some are legless because he often visualizes horses in the water where they swim like dogs. He gives smaller parts of the horse a near-mechanical apperance. This strategy distances the work from realistic representation. "My sculptures are not horses," he says, "They convey the essance of a horse."
He sees people, animals and objects as cardboard cutouts, frozen in time. To understand our spirtual presence, there is a need to look around their corners.
Curator of Art: Maureen Corey
Photo credits: Susan Snyder, Mel Schockner
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To hear the artist discuss his work, call