Biography

Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1955, Christian has been living in the United States since 1978. Starting out as a furniture makers apprenticeship in Germany in the middle seventies, he studied sculpture and drawing at the Museum School in Boston then at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver BC. Christian Burchard uses Pacific Madrone, a tree indigenous to the northwest coast of the United States. He works with the wood when it is green and supple; as it dries, it warps and contracts according to its grain structure. He makes use of these undulating surfaces to create personality, gestural forms and, when grouping the shapes together, relationships. The cutting edge of the artist’s tools and his process of light sandblasting creates a soft surface texture, akin to satin. In 1982 Christian opened a studio in Southern Oregon. His early focus was on furniture and interiors, but gradually shifted to woodturning and sculpture, moving between vessel oriented forms and sculptural turning. His work has been included in most of the major turning related exhibits of the last twenty something years and is exhibited widely throughout the US. His pieces are part of many public and private collections. His current work includes wall sculptures and freestanding sculptural objects. He currently resides with his wife at the outskirts of Ashland, Oregon.

Artist Statement

I have been working with wood for most of my life. We are comfortable with each other, have a close relationship and I value the connection immensely. I am curious what is inside, how it works. I am always looking for the gifts it has to offer. At times I am awed by its beauty and the story of its history, the tracks that the passing of time have left. I am driven to expose this beauty, to make it shine. At other times I am more fascinated with its inner structure, its more subtle form and spirit.