As artist, I continually find inspiration to explore new directions in creating from wood, as a material that gives expression to our view of the world. I continue to explore all those wonderful qualities every piece of wood conceals, just needing a sympathetic cut to expose it to those who see it as nothing more than a renewable resource, ready to be exploited, rather than appreciated. As teacher, I endeavour to pass on knowledge to my students, hoping that they too will be inspired to explore wood celebrating it as a living material growing around us that can lend shape to the ideas conjured in our minds. I gain enormous enjoyment from seeing people of other cultures explore their wood, how they expose and celebrate its beauty, and how it is integrated into their culture and general existence.
Andrew Potocnik is a prominent Australian artist, renown for exceptionally beautiful wood sculptures. In the words of Kaye Phillips-Webb, he is “a wood turner and sculptor of distinction”, and today “one of Australia’s most talented artists”.
His work is well-recognised in Australia and abroad. Pieces are held in collections of several museums in the U.S.A., including the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art.Works, and are owned by private and corporate collections, such as the Texas State Bank Corporate Collection, U.S.A. He has exhibited extensively in Australia – including the Melbourne Museum, in Munich, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
Andrew was born in Melbourne, in 1963. of Slovenian parents. Andrew’s passion for wood began in the Arts and Crafts classes, when he discovered wood as a medium of artistic expression.
Winner of numerous prestigious state and national awards, Andrew has participated in Arts and Crafts exhibitions and competitions both as exhibitor and judge. He is a regular contributor of articles and reviews and editorials for books and magazines, and has travelled widely, collecting rare pieces of wood and drawing inspiration from a diversity of cultures.In the course of his professional life, Andrew has achieved, as he says, a satisfying balance between teaching and developing his own work.
