Trent Manning

My art is very much a reflection of my personality: a somewhat disillusioned cynic, with an off sense of humor, who still clings tightly to his inner child. In this series, reclaimed, salvaged, and repurposed items are subtly combined with the new material to create an added sense of history. By mixing things such as bottle caps, old tools and broken furniture, with woodworking, painting and sculpting, I try to create a rebirth of interest in these items that they didn’t have in their previous roles. The search for this material is a major step in the creative process; since I never know what I might find next, I never know what my next piece will be. Constantly changing materials provide a natural evolution in my work, letting me explore new techniques and grow as an artist with every piece. My goal is to create a distinct style that will let me experiment with all of these things in a cohesive body of work that is truly my own.