INFERNO2020: Wood Sculpture Works by Ruth Waters

Ruth Waters’s Inferno 2020 series explores the human condition in the environment of fire. Her seven large sculpture works are made from different types of trees.  The possibilities for visual commentary on existence and relationships are infinite, not only in subjective content but also in the range of stylistic interpretation.  Her sculptures are primarily in the classic subtractive mode, using mallet (or maul) and chisels on hardwood logs and blocks of marble.  Large works, usually constructed of redwood timbers with enclosures incorporating carved marble, invite the viewer to look inside the sculpture.

  Ruth’s sculptures are commentaries on humanity, observations of individuals, and reflections on universal truths.

A Seattle native, Ruth graduated from Stanford University in 1955 and started working in hardwoods in 1957 (her mediums also now include bronze, marble, constructed room-size sculpture, and painting).

She has exhibited extensively in Northern California, Seattle, Michigan, Washington, DC, and New York, as well as in China and Ireland.