How is Trotmans work an outgrowth of the North Carolina furniture tradition?
Though the furniture industry drives the economy in Piedmont towns such as High Point and Thomasville, there are still craftsmen who create unique furniture outside of the mass production system. Before Winston-Salem native Bob Trotman made purely sculptural works from wood, he used the material for over 20 years as a furniture maker. The shift in focus from furniture to sculpture was more an evolution than a drastic change, since a lot of his functional furniture pieces have sculptural elements. Click here and here to see examples. Though Trotman considers himself a self-taught artist, he has studied at the Penland School of Crafts near Spruce Pine, North Carolina, and in other programs in the United States. Girl is characteristic of Trotman’s work since the late 1990s. He lives in Casar, a small town located between Charlotte and Asheville. How is the sculpture made? Trotman starts by making a small clay study as a basis for his larger finished work. Is the finished work made from on
