Introducing Riverborne Art

Self-taught Louisville, Kentucky, Artist/Naturalist Mack Dryden has always had a special reverence for wood. When he discovered an area of the Ohio River where piles of driftwood collect along a bank not far from his home, a new creative journey began. Today Dryden turns driftwood into abstract sculptural assemblages inspired by the natural world. “There’s a spiritual element in working with driftwood,” the artist says, “because every piece of wood  I collect has already had who-knows-how-many lives before I gives it yet one more.” Wood that’s spent a lifetime in a river can take on the texture of old ivory or be as burnished as the sun. And sometimes the real magic is what’s inside. The artist once picked up a wedge-shaped piece of wood, took it home, “ripped” it and produced six golden pieces that were mirror images of each other and “Trail Blazer” (row one) was born. Dryden has a keen eye for shape, color, patina and possibility but never hesitates to let the wood speak for itself.

J Compton Gallery is pleased to represent Mack Dryden’s’ “Riverborne Art”. Read more about Mack and his art.

ROW 1
Trail Blazer.  D: 54″ x 24″ x4″   $1600
Black Walnut Chorale.  D: 30″ x 24″ x 6 ”  $1200

ROW 2
Long Day’s Journey.  D: 27″ x 23″ x 5″   $900
August Night.  D: 41″ x 18″ x 3″ $1000

ROW 3
Moon River.  D: 39″ x 15″ x 5″  $900
Inside Out.  D: 34″ x 17″ x 3″  $1000

ROW 4
Shindig.  D: 34″ x 27″ x 5″    $900
Shooting Star.  D: 20″ x 10″ x 3″   $1000