As a stone carver with a background in traditional stonemasonry, Matt Byrd found himself drawn to creating forms beyond the wall. Inspired by architecture, he studies the angles at which the roofs of different buildings meet in order to imagine how he can represent such angles in his stacked stone sculptures. Byrd still refers to the classics like Blunk and Noguchi for inspiration, and recently he's been enjoying Pedro Reyes work. When it comes to new ideas he says he gets most of his inspiration from his friends, even if they aren't in the arts.
Much of his work is developed with found stone materials often being disregarded and abandoned. Byrd gives these materials new life and names reflective of the origin where the stones were collected.
Talking with Byrd he can't recall exactly when he began sculpting. I've been building and stacking stuff my whole life. I was a stone mason on and off for ten years...working as a full-time sculptor for about three years. I was doing both for a while.
His process, studio, and tools are very straightforward. Byrd sketches his concepts by hand and carves the works using primitive tools such as chisels, disc grinders, and sanders. He refers to his studio as ...pretty much nothing, which is how I like it. I have a shed where I keep my tools, finished pieces, as well as the ones that are in progress. I can only work outside, so about twenty feet from that (the shed) is my work area...nothing fancy.
Creating forms of intrigue to functional forms, Byrd's works are seemingly flawless to the touch with smooth curves that contradict the familiar jagged aspects of the granite. Even the whimsy and playfulness of the forms oppose their natural state.
The current selection of works by Byrd available at ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY is unique to previous collections, as the main body of each sculpture is shaped in one solid form with a removable plug, rather than a work of many pieces that have been likened to puzzles in the past. However, the cylindric forms seen on the larger sculptures, which are shaped out of a different granite stone, can be removed and replaced, inviting one to handle the work and relish the character of the work.
