Charles Hazelaar

In each of my sculptures I try to create a presence – a sense of life. I want the art to meet viewer eye to eye, and to present itself as something very unique and real unto itself. I begin with materials – boards, bits of stone or plaster – glass or metal. I include photos and collected found objects. With these I sketch out collages and scenes and start planning how they will be housed in a sculpture. To build a home for these scenes, I use sheets of wet clay which I cut and texture. The surface also helps establish the mood and give the viewer a hint of the story going on inside. I am also in love with the bumps and twists, the cut openings and block walls that cover the surface of my work. The finished work is kiln fired two to three times. The colors are from oxides and stains fired into the clay. At this point the story materials are added to the almost finished sculpture. The final surface is decorated with latex and acrylic paints, industrial dyes and wax. I attended the San Francisco Art Institute, The University of Wyoming and Colorado Sate University. I live with my wife, Suzy, in Cape Canaveral, where I operate a full time studio.

In each of my sculptures I try to create a presence- a sense of life. I want the art to meet the viewer eye to eye, and to present itself as something very unique and real unto itself. I begin with materials like boards, bits of stone or plaster, glass or metal. I include photos and collected found objects. With these I sketch out collages and scenes and start planning how they will be housed in a sculpture. To build a home for these scenes, I use sheets of wet clay which I cut and texture. The outside surfaces try to tell a story of what's inside. The surface also helps establish the mood and give the viewer a hint of what's going on inside. I am also in love with the bumps and twists, the cut openings and block walls that cover the surface of my work. After the clay is joined together, the finished work is kiln fired two to three times. The colors are from oxides and stains fired into the clay. At this point the "story" materials are added to the almost finished sculpture. As a last step, the final surface is decorated with latex and acrylic paints, industrial dyes and wax. I attended San Francisco Art Institute, University of Wyoming and Colorado State University. I live with my wife, Suzy, in Cape Canaveral Florida and operate a full time studio in Port Canaveral.