Sy Wengrovitz
SY WENGROVITZ, an engineer by profession, started working with wood as a teenager. Since his retirement from the Federal Government, he has taken up wood carving and has carved faces in tree limbs, folk musicians, religious figures, carousel horses, and Intarsia “paintings” (i.e., wood mosaics). He specializes in carving items of clothing, which can be hung on walls as sculpture. All of his creations are hand crafted originals that have achieved recognition through entry and acceptance into national and local juried art exhibitions and gallery shows. He has received numerous awards including a $1500 Best – in- Show award at the Artscape 98 Festival of the Arts in Baltimore, MD in July 1998. Photographs of his award winning sculptures have appeared in Chip Chats Magazine (a publication of the American Wood Carvers Association) and in Bedrooms & Baths Magazine. A three page article with photographs of his work was featured in the fall 1998 edition of Country Collectibles Magazine. He was also featured in the October 2002 edition of Elan Magazine and has exhibited at the Granary Gallery in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and the Byrne Gallery in Middleburg VA.
People are amazed and comment on the amount of detail he incorporates in his wood carvings. His clothing pieces seem to “be alive” and viewers can’t help but touch the sculptures to assure that they are wood replicas and not original items of clothing. Most of his sculptures are coated with a sealer that provides protection to the wood but allows the natural color of the wood grain to show.
Sy has taught classes at Glen Echo Park (Glen Echo, MD) on how to carve carousel horses, and has given lectures and talks on his carvings at meetings of numerous art groups, schools, and at George Mason University. He has taught carving classes and demonstrated his carving techniques at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC.He resides in Springfield, VA with his wife and is a member of the Northern Virginia Carvers, The Art League (Alexandria, VA), Springfield Art Guild, Strathmore Hall Artists and the American Wood Carvers Association
Please visit Sy’s personal website for more info: www.sywoodcarving.com
5220 Cather Road
Springfield, VA 22151
703-256-4683