Debra Zelenak - Sculptor & Textile Artist

I began my artistic career carving realistic decoys and birds in wood.  My primary mediums I sculpt in are wood, stone and bronze.  In the last couple of years I have concentrated on creating iconic and stylized avian forms, moving away from exact replicas.  My challenge is preserving the essence of the bird in a stylized form as strongly as it inhabits a realistic form.  I'm finding the key to this is the incorporation of visual and tactile cues.   In realistic wood sculptures nothing is left to the imagination and touching is forbidden.  As my sculptures move toward a more stylized form I see people rubbing, touching, and interacting with them more.  I believe sculpture is one of the few forms of art where touching is not only OK but should be encouraged as it uses twice as many senses.