Joseph Land

Creativity fills my head in the morning. Coffee and a sketch book start the day and, from there, the ideas flow. My methods are "Old School" for sure. From a sketch I model the figure in clay. The gesture is important to me. I can't abide a static pose. I need flow and movement in the figure and in that movement I see lines that lead me to a composition. From the sketch I use a mannequin to visualize form as I sculpt clay over a wire armature and translate my ideas into 3-D. The composition, only vague beforehand, happens real time as I work. It's Intuitive. For all the books written and classes taught on rules of composition, the golden ratios and rule of thirds, I'm just a slave to my eye. I have to mess with it until it looks right. I'm the person who turns his plate around at dinner until the peas are in the right place. Nothing I can explain. Hand carved, solid wood Santa Claus carvings. Unique, one of a kind Santas hand crafted with traditional knives, gouges and chisels and finely painted in oils. Read my full bio