Zen and the Art of Painting with Wood (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010John Cederquist, Zen and the Art of Painting with Wood (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010Measure Once, Cut Twice (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010. With a great sense of humor matched by impeccable craftsmanship, Cederquist is never one to miss a good visual pun or joke. In these more recent pieces, he often riffs on craft mottos and sayings by giving them physical form. The chatoyance of specifically selected woods that Cederquist bleaches and dyes appear like entirely different materials, such as, silk, steel and water, which adds to the effect of his optical illusions.Measure Twice, Cut Once (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010. In this series of flat sculptures inspired by the cosmic mandala diagram, Cederquist moves away from furniture to play with the idea of art that is intended for walls. In his “Mickey Mandalas,” the formal structure is an assemblage of wooden planks in a truss-like formation that is reminiscent of Japanese or Craftsman style architecture. The iconic black arm and flawless white glove of America’s most beloved mouse repeatedly pops through the planks to execute various craft process in a clockwise formation. Poking self-deprecating fun at the cartoonish nature of the handmade, these pieces allude to the issue of skills that are no longer valued or understood and perhaps as outmoded as American illustrated characters from a bygone era.Just Plane Waves (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010Phillips or Standard? (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010Phillips or Standard? (detail) (Mickey’s Mandalas series), 2010
