Image: Fleming Zuhling, 2024, courtesy of Easton Zuhling

With a chisel and sandpaper on wood, in the calm of the night, the artist follows the grain and form of every piece of walnut.  For the artist, each work is an exploration into how to express the vocabulary of every single object.  The journey from beginning to end is dictated by the subtle feel of the wood in the hand.

Initially using a chisel, the artist shifts to 120-grit sandpaper and gradually works up to the 3000-grit level to achieve a silky-smooth surface on each piece.

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Fleming Zuhling owns and operates Flatline Finishing in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  He specializes in concrete needs for residential, rural, and commercial properties.  Grain and cattle farming is also part of his repertoire.  He is a Professional Member of the Alberta Craft Council. He and his wife have a busy young family.

Artist Statement:

If alone in the wilderness I wonder what one would need for not only the amenities of comfort and necessity, but also for beauty.  I find inspiration in the abundance of nature.  I strive to find beauty and function in harsh forms.  I want to reveal their simple elegance.  A patient eye and steady hand will find the subtle complexities of each piece.  Therefore, I make the often overlooked, misunderstood, or placed-to-the-side objects.

Initially I tried to conform nature to the boundaries and confines of my own imagination, which led me to acknowledge nature’s unwillingness to abide by my rules.  This changed my journey.  With attention to the raw highlights, however small or often thought unimportant, my vision grows out from an abstracted perspective.  When I work, I concede to nature, since the soul of the object, thought inanimate, is finding life and an identity within itself.

The natural beauty of the raw form is often all that is needed to inspire.

I was exposed to woodworking and carpentry at an early age by my grandmother, a music teacher and an accomplished finishing carpenter, who restored the local small-town church.  Being with her in her workshop offered me my first glimpse into creating beauty with my hands.

My mother was a single parent in the 80s and 90s, with a limited support system, who was determined to be an art historian (she ultimately got her MA), this meant my younger brother and I were immersed in all things cultural.  We heard and learned about the history of art throughout the ages, and we were brought along to university seminars, art exhibitions, art workshops, operas, symphonies, and any other possible opportunity that was available.  I also attribute my appreciation of nature to the countless hours spent in the backcountry with my mother and brother.  It is there I began carving by campfires and/or looking out over mountain lakes (a practice I maintain, since my journey continues).