John Allaire

[Eight driftwood sculptures]*, 2025
Corwood, cypress, tupelo wood
Various sizes

I grew up on the water in a small island community in Western New York.  Relocated to the gulf coast in in 1976 to work and attend college.  In 1998 I purchased a coastal property in Cameron Parish Louisiana.  This has been my quiet place to share with family and friends for the last 27 years.  Weather permitting, I take my dogs to the gulf beach and walk the shoreline searching for what I call treasure.  This includes rare shells, beach glass and occasionally a piece of driftwood.  When I find an unusual piece of wood, I see in it the beauty in what God has created for us.  Some pieces have unusual shapes that remind me of a specific creature or object, some present unusual textures or wood grains.  Everyone is unique! 

I bring them back to my work area and start the process of removing the residents including crabs, clams, insects, barnacles and seaweed and mosses.  I then begin the process of removing the beach sand and soft rotted pulp wood.  Sometimes this is with soap, water and a brush, other times I utilize a pressure washer depending on the characteristics of the piece. I then allow the piece to dry in the sun as I plan what I hope the piece will look like when complete.  Usually, I must repeat these processes several times to remove all the organic material, sand and pulp wood.  

Once cleaning and drying cycles are complete, I may hand sand or brush the piece to accentuate a certain section of the piece. Usually, I try to highlight something in the piece that caught my eye so that others see what I saw or use their imagination to form their own idea. 

Many of the pieces I coat with a urethane sealer to prevent the critters from moving back in, preserves the piece from weathering and many times accentuates the textures and grains of the wood.

I hope you enjoy.

John Allaire