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Its all in the grain

Stina SiegPost Independent StaffGlenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Stina Sieg Post Independent
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CARBONDALE, Colorado A country guy at heart, sculptor Bruce Lemire moved to Redstone from Denver in 1985. It was a snowy January day when he and his former wife pulled up with their U-Haul full of stuff, and firewood was a quick necessity. Lemire started chopping and not long after discovered the artistic quality of wood. These days, he likes to bushwhack through the local wilderness as he looks for inspiration for his pieces. He follows his heart, explores all around him. Though hes not into the label of artist, his work of honey-colored, twisting faces and wildlife is beautiful and so smooth. Usually, he shows just at Majid Kahhak Fine Arts & School (Kahhak, incidentally helped inspire the piece pictured above) and the Redstone Labor Day Art Show. But this fall, hes making one more appearance this time alongside a group of fellow wood enthusiasts.

Im not sure if I am. But I started when I moved here in 85.

At first I was very intrigued with Indian art. I went to see powwows and went to see some of their art. I dont know, it was just intriguing, so I started messing around with wood. Ive cut my own firewood since I came here. … The grain is what intrigues me, so I started refining it, and I found juniper wood, and thats what Ive used ever since juniper.



(He answered this one with his artist statement, which he had on-hand) Time and weather have sculpted the juniper tree into graceful twists and curves that are already a piece of art, it read.

Yeah, I was really surprised when the first one I did showed up at the Redstone Inn, and someone bought it. I was like Oh, really?



I guess its different each time. Some of its exploring itself to see where Im going with something. Some of it is discipline, to make sure Im finishing with a piece. And in the case of juniper, just the smell of it. It smells like cedar, and just working with that, smelling that juniper and cedar smell all day is rewarding itself.

Intrigue. Something about a respect or love for the particular juniper. I guess Im really inspired by juniper. … There are millions of pieces of sculpture in a piece of wood. And its up to the artist to do what he wants with it.

My son. Hes my best friend as well as my son.


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