Wood has its history embedded in its structure: scars of lost limbs, beetle chewed labyrinths, and the traces of human use all inspire me. I alternate between continuing and interrupting what I find in the wood, allowing forms to emerge and mutate as I build the work.
Stephen Klassen (b.1963, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) lives in Minneapolis, MN where he has maintained his studio practice since earning an MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2009. In 2014, Klassen was awarded a $10,000 Artist Initiative grant from the State of Minnesota Arts Board. Previously he earned a bachelor's degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington where he studied liberal arts and painting.
