Stephen Hogbin has been a major force in the wood/furniture scene in Canada and abroad for many years. In addition to his artwork he is known for his teaching, and more recently, for his book Appearance & Reality: A Visual Handbook for Artists, Designers & Makers. Owen Sound, Ontario based Hogbin has done numerous commissioned pieces, including the 200-foot architectural sculptural screen and entrance at the Metro Toronto Reference Library. He maintains an active studio practice producing autonomous pieces for exhibitions in the USA and Canada.

It is with great pleasure that we mount an exhibition of his recent developments in wood and mixed media. There are two distinct types ofobjects in the exhibition, vessels and tables.  These categories of object become the vehicle for the inquiry into cutting and fragmenting the form.  His earlier fragmented works revealed the inner structure of the form and the consequent mending or reconfiguration in unexpected ways. Some of the reassembly was intense enough to think of the fragments as the subject. The fragments and working with the parts remains central to this exhibition.

The vessels follow the investigation of the fragments with the techniques of turning between centres that make the now familiar Walking Bowl series. The tables introduce new elements and in some cases superpose and develop a relationship between top and base.

His well deserved reputation is evident in this current body of work, which will be of interest to all of those who have followed Stephen Hogbin's illustrious career over the years. It will be exciting to see the development of his continuous exploration in altering the symmetrical nature of the object on the lathe, into very dynamic and active objects.