ARTIST

COSTELLO SCULPTURE is Michael and Tracy Ann Costello.

"Our business, Costello Sculpture, is located in the rolling countryside of southwestern Virginia. Our work evolved from all stone sculptures to the inclusion of wood elements. The kinetic element in our work developed about 12 years ago and is now the main focus of our sculptures.

"In our work, we try to link architectonic and anthropomorphic imagery. Using wood as the primary medium combined with stones used as weight, we create sculptures we refer to as non-functional furniture. We use various types of wood including mahogany, tiger maple, walnut, oak, sycamore, cherry, and others.

"The more prominent stone in our work is soapstone called steatite, though we also use alabaster. Our sculptures are created by using your typical wood shop tools such as jointers, planers, bandsaw, sanders, etc. We start by carving out a set of stones and design the body of the piece around the stones. The body is sanded and filed through many different procedures. We grind the stone out of large slabs and polish them by hand.

"From start to finish, the work takes anywhere from a week to two weeks to complete. Our sculptures are made for indoor use and swing for approximately 30 minutes."