Wood Art and Design2022-05-19T08:44:28-05:00

WOOD ART, SCULPTURE, AND DECOR

Welcome to the Woods! For my coastal work, I take inspiration from places I love… Hawaii, Bali, the South Pacific, Key West, Malibu, Southern California (my former coastal home), and of course the gorgeous Emerald Coast where I have spent the last few years. I also took inspiration from a number of other things I love… vintage Florida, Hemingway, deep sea fishing, the beach, surfing, interior design, plants, flowers, the forest, nature.

For my Americana series, I look for inspiration in the farm fields of the Midwest, my love of old barns and animals and cornfields, my Hoosier roots, and the rural vibe that is the heart of America. My wood art just feels organic to me. Original. unique, truly my own, and deeply expressive. When it’s right… it’s right!

Please explore and enjoy then reach out me know if you see something you like! Pieces are marked either Sold, Commission, Original (OAK, one-of-a-kind), or Available with full descriptions and dimensions. Also, many pieces can be creatively replicated, colors can often be changed, the design can be varied, and the scale can be made either larger or smaller to fit your needs. For full pricing and shipping details (if applicable), please reach out to me directly via email or phone using the links below. Thanks!

ABOUT THE WORK

Part passion, part creative outlet, part therapy! I started painting and drawing when I was a young boy in Indiana. I always loved shapes, colors, and design. Some of my earliest memories of drawing are of laying out the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium (long live Riverfront) in chalk on my grandpa’s garage floor and then begging him not to hose it off or walk on it. He of course saved it.

After that, it was re-creating album cover art on the walls of my bedroom with paint. The Go-Go’s, Journey, and Duran Duran were forever immortalized on this young boys wall (how I wish we had social media and instant photography back then). My first “paying” art gig was painting department store windows for the holidays in the downtown of my hometown, I was about 14 and completely thrilled to have my work featured on Main Street, USA!

A few years later when I moved to Hollywood, my creativity obviously went in a different direction and with a lot of success but, after decades of great work and experiences, I found myself at a different place in life… literally and metaphorically. I started searching again for a creative outlet. And funny enough, that search let me back to my original roots, art. The inspiration was all around me, I just had to fine tune it and zero in on it. I needed to let the artistic juices flow once again.

Originally, I grabbed the paint and brushes and created a “wave” series of large paintings with textured acrylic. They were quite popular, and I sold a number of canvases, but it just didn’t completely feel like my own. It wasn’t the vibe that I wanted. Plus, to be perfectly blunt, I’m not that good of a painter! I know very talented painters and, while I have a good eye and a creative flair, my technique just isn’t there. So I stopped for a couple of years and let the soup simmer.

And, to use a famous expression, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Or, to adapt that to these trying times, a funny thing happened during a global pandemic! I started getting creative again, started working with wood, I had bought a new home and decided to build most of the kitchen myself and then ultimately built a few new furniture pieces. One thing led to another and three months later, I had an entire studio/workshop set up in my garage. And that’s when it hit me, inspiration struck. The perfect marriage of woodworking (that manly, testosterone driven outlet), combined with my creativity and love for design, combined with the natural elements all around me. On the coast it was Water and Wood, Sun and Sand, Palms and Pines. In the Heartland of the Midwest it was Farms and Fields, Americana and Architecture, Trails and Tractors! It really was a lightbulb moment and most importantly… it felt right! It was a form of expression and a medium which I didn’t really see a lot of in the art world. That excited me. I had a vision and I had a brain full of ideas!

To be perfectly honest, I see so many artists basically doing the same thing. On canvas… soft, free-form, abstract paintings featuring waves and water and trees and animals and fish and birds and clouds and… yada, yada, yada! And if there is wood involved. it all seems to be rustic, cottage kitsch, coastal farmhouse, reclaimed, shabby chic… blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Nothing necessarily wrong with any of it but just not my thing. And it certainly didn’t feel right trying to do that, not at all authentic or true. I wanted something different. Something unique. Something new.

For my coastal work, I took inspiration from places I love… Hawaii, Bali, the South Pacific, Key West, Malibu, Southern California (my former coastal home), and of course the gorgeous Emerald Coast (where I spent the last few years). I also took inspiration from a number of other things I love… vintage Florida, Hemingway, deep sea fishing, the beach, surfing, interior design, plants, flowers, the forest, nature. For my Americana series, I took inspiration from my youth growing up in farm fields in Indiana, my love of old barns and animals and cornfields, the rural vibe that is the heart of America. And THAT is when I knew I had something… I had my style. It just felt like the perfect medium, at the perfect time and place. Much more organic, more original, more me. Exactly what I had been looking for. When it’s right… it’s right!

And that brings us to now. Most of my work is modern, bold, and mixed wood. It is meticulously designed, hard crafted, cut, worked, shaped, and finished by yours truly at either my Gulf Coast studio in Florida or in my shop in rural Indiana. I love large, dynamic, instantly recognizable, statement pieces that capture your attention instantly. My work has a spirited, sophisticated, and sometimes luxurious feel… mixed with a little bit of a vintage cool and classic style.

While my art is either coastal and tropical or rural and natural, it still all fits into any decor and design style. Everything from sophisticated penthouses to mid-century modern homes to classic farmhouses to beachfront cottages. I am also fortunate enough to have my work showcased in numerous hotels, restaurants, spas, and businesses from coast to coast. I am very lucky to count among my clients beach loving friends, coastal and rural neighbors, art collectors, fellow world travelers, and well-known corporate brands.

Many of my pieces are commission based but, when I have the free time, I start creating randomly and often offer one-of-a-kind new work for sale. Plus, if you see something you like, chances are I can re-create a custom version of it just for you. Most of my art is scalable, either larger or smaller. Or maybe you want different colors or a different orientation. Just let me know what you envision, what makes you happy, and I will create it for you!

Please have a look around the site and thanks as always for your great support!

MY PROCESS

Please use any of the links below to reach out to me about almost anything. Well Aged Vibe content and ideas or Studio Youngblood custom wood art and photography. You can also connect with me about television/media/entertainment questions and collaborative opportunities. Thanks for visiting the site, I look forward to hearing from you! ~Rob

Please use any of the links below to reach out to me about almost anything. Well Aged Vibe content and ideas or Studio Youngblood custom wood art and photography. You can also connect with me about television/media/entertainment questions and collaborative opportunities. Thanks for visiting the site, I look forward to hearing from you! ~Rob

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