Figurative Wood Sculpture
Article from Audi Magazine
text only: the photos from the article
are not included here
Audi Magazine, 1/2009
by John Alain Guzik
It should be no surprise that an artist appreciates Audi. Audi certainly appreciates the artist, Stefanie Rocknak. A devoted Audi A4 owner, Stefanie is a remarkable wood sculptor who has shown her work nationally, at such illustrious venues as the Smithsonian, and internationally. Recently, she was juried into the prestigious Sculptors Guild of New York City. Although she has only made her work public nine years ago, it has been featured in over 45 newspapers, books and magazines.
AUDI MAGAZINE: So, tell us a little about yourself.
STEFANIE ROCKNAK: I am an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. I am also a sculptor.
AM: Do you think that philosophy and art go hand in hand?
SR: I do. Philosophy tends to be mostly about rational inquiry, while art tends to be more emotive (my sculpture is more about articulating figurative moods and gestures). These two activities complement each other.
AM: How did you get into cars?
SR: My brother turned me on to Audi--he had an Audi A4 and I always liked it. I used to own a 1999 Audi A4. My current Audi is a Grey 2006 A4 2.0T Quattro. I love the quality and the build of the car. It's also great in the snow. I live in upstate New York and do a lot of back and forth driving to NYC with my artwork. The A4 really drives great. I like to drive and I also like performance cars. The Audi has the best of all worlds; it's sporty and practical. One other reason I like the Audi is the fact that the engineers/designers pay attention to the details!
AM: Can you describe your artistic background for us?
SR: I am a self-taught sculptor. I studied painting in college. I went to Rome for a semester abroad and saw all those great Italian figurative marble sculptures. I was inspired by what I saw. When I came back to the States, I decided to try it for myself.
AM: Why figurative work?
SR: People seem to resonate with the figure. No matter where they are in the world, or what their background is, people identify with this kind of work. Also, not many people work with wood, so I think that many enjoy that aspect.
AM: How long does it take to make a piece, especially something like "The King"?
SR: "The King" took over 1,000 hours. I spent the most amount of time getting the hair right. I wanted to do something different with this piece. I wanted to make a crown and I wanted to make hair that had movement. In the Tri-Athlete series, I was really tested. This was the first time that I had sculpted water and equipment. I wanted to test myself with "The King" as well. The hair reminded me of the water from "The Swimmer."
AM: Can you describe your process and inspirations?
SR: As far as "The King" goes, I was eating lunch in NYC and saw someone who looked very troubled, yet extremely powerful. That person inspired me. But I wanted to sculpt rings and a crown, and other "kingly accoutrements." To me, these are more metaphorical than anything else. Carving a guy in a business suit is not very interesting to me. I wanted more drama.
AM: What kind of wood do you use?
SR: "The King" is made out of New York State basswood. It started off as one big log. The wood didn't crack much because it dried very slowly. A lot of the Medieval sculptures in Europe were made from a similar kind of wood, i.e. limewood.
AM: Do you think that as an artist and craftsman, you might appreciate your Audi differently than others may?
SR: I look at the lines of the car and I see sculpture. I come from a family of car fanatics and we grew up looking at cars as art. An automobile is essentially a mechanical sculpture. I am attached to well-designed cars because of that.