John Geldersma (born October 16, 1942, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is known for his wooden sculptures of what he calls "contemporary tribalism".[1]
Geldersma earned a BFA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) and a MFA from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The artist has cited his early immersion in the intersection of such divergent cultures as French, Spanish, African-American, Caribbean, British, and Native American as a major influence on his art.[2] Geldersma divides his time between his native Louisiana and Colorado.
Geldersma began carving totems and masks in 1970, inspired by African art.
His Spirit Poles are carved, smooth, minimalist, vertical, wooden poles with tapered ends, usually three or more feet long, some on bases.[3] Geldersma works with aspen, pecan, weathered driftwood, and salvaged wood to create totemic poles, cairns, and tablets.[4] Gelderma has said he makes the pieces with eyes at eye level to give viewers a sense of "confrontation and connection".[2]
The artist's creative process involves studying the wood and its twists and turns. The original shape of the wood often dictates how the totem will ultimately look. Beginning with the raw material, Geldersma first removes the bark with a knife and then works the piece of wood with a chainsaw to get the rough shape. Using increasingly smaller tools, from grinders to sandpaper and steel wool, Geldersma works the wood into his desired form. He then applies color either by painting the totems in bands of colors or by burning them to achieve blacks.
