Joël Urruty

b. 1968, San Francisco, California

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2005 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition NY, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Cut it Out, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
The Language of Wood, WDO Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2003 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
2002 Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 The World Competition of Arts & Crafts, Kanazawa, Japan
Furniture & Sculpture, Rolf Hoeg and Joël Urruty, Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston, MA
1998-01 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2000 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
Allentown Art Museum 27th Juried Show, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2000, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Time Out: Studio Furniture Invitational, Peter's Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ
1998 Craft Forms, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Joël Urruty was born in San Francisco, CA in 1968, the son of French Basque immigrants. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from San Francisco State University. He apprenticed as a furniture maker under David J. Marks, master craftsman, and later went on to earn a Masters of Fine Art degree in Furniture Design and Woodworking from the School of American Crafts at Rochester Institute of Technology. Urruty has taught in various institutions, such as Philadelphia University and University of the Arts. He has also taught courses at Penland School of Craft, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts and Peter's Valley Craft Education Center. Urruty is a full-time artist creating sculptures as well as furniture, which he has shown in various galleries and museums in the United States and Japan.

ARTIST'S GENERAL STATEMENT

Wood is my medium of choice. It is a strong and resilient material, yet it can be shaped into delicate fluid forms. I'm drawn to the tactile quality of wood, which has a warmth that few raw materials possess.

Most of my sculptures come affixed on pedestals. I find that the pedestal is an integral part of sculpture. Just like a frame interacts with a painting, the pedestal must communicate with the sculpture.
I try to pay as much attention to what statement the pedestal makes as I do the sculpture.

My sculptures are often figurative based. The figure is an amazing subject, with endless possibilities.
I distort the figures to define them and create personalities. Surface treatment is added with the use of scarification and paint to bring the pieces to life. The figures tell a story while the colors set the tone.