Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 2822 23 www.htcinc.net | Winter 2017 Winter 2017 | www.htcinc.net “I was always interested in art,” says Logan. “When I was in high school, we had a teacher who basically brought in her torch, taught us how to solder and kind of just let us go — for better or for worse. I was really excited, I loved it.” Logan’s passion was fostered and fine-tuned at Winthrop University, where he had the good fortune of working with renowned silversmith Alf Ward, who worked regularly for the queen of England before arriving. After earning his BFA in sculpture from Winthrop, Logan worked toward his MFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. “I started in grad school with this idea of the family story,” says Logan. “So, I — being a very pale, redheaded Southern kid — started reading Scots- Irish history. And I found it had absolutely nothing to do with my family. So I started looking for where the stories came from.” His insatiable curiosity as to how culture and family stories shape our identities still drives his work today. “A lot of the inspiration comes from things I heard over and over as a kid — you know those things that you end up rolling your eyes over as a kid? You don’t realize at that age that what you’re hearing is different than what somebody else heard. But then, going to grad school and being out of state, without these people around you, these sayings keep vibrating in your head.” For example, one of his works, a copper gravy boat, is shaped like a pig — a whimsical ode to the hands that once worked the fields and fed the animals that had a presence on the dinner table. As for his own identity, Logan considers himself first a teacher, and then an artist. “Making — creating — that’s great, but a lot of the energy for making comes from teaching. It’s so rewarding.” He didn’t venture into his adult life with intentions of being a teacher — in fact, those didn’t sprout until a classmate told him in college that he was something of the go-to guy for questions, because he never minded explaining, expounding and guiding. “It’s incredibly rewarding to know you’ve impacted a piece in some way. That’s my favorite part about teaching — contributing to this circular dialogue where I encourage and affect their piece, and then their work and excitement motivates my own work, and so on.” When working with metals, Logan channels that inspiration into a flat sheet that is never cast or molded. Although, there is a certain practicality that must be considered: Silver is expensive. “I do a lot of sketching,” he says. “I often use clay models to help with measurements — clay is much more forgiving than metal. That way, the final piece is well thought-out.” Once he solidifies his design, he then — to put it into an artist’s language — “listens” to the metal and lets it take shape from there. Although he considers himself a traditional silversmith in sensibility and methodology, Logan does not shy away from technology. “I love it,” he says. “I love the capabilities of 3-D printing and things like that — it especially helps with the design process.” Exposing his students to all facets of technology in art is important to Logan, as he wants to introduce them to a world of possibility and then see their individual reactions. “I think most artists fear producing clones,” Logan explains, “because if you’re producing clones, they will create work that doesn’t add anything new to the conversation.” After experiencing Logan’s art, you’ll agree: It’s a conversation worth having. To view more of Logan’s work and keep tabs on where you can find it exhibited, visit www.loganwoodle.com. Images provided by Logan Woodle. HTC Artist Spotlight Update: Where Are They Now? You may remember Tim Carroll from the last issue of Life Connections — his unique art form and the story of his passion are not quickly forgotten. Even in the last few months, Tim’s endeavors have reached greater heights. As discussed in his feature article, Tim combines his creative streak with a lifelong love of baseball to produce one-of-a-kind masterpieces made from cut baseball cards. A vocal supporter of Coastal Carolina baseball, Tim fused his dedication to the sport with his loyalty to Conway and created a piece featuring College World Series National Championship hero and Conway native G.K. Young. Way to go, Tim! You knocked this hometown homage out of the park. Image provided by Tim Carroll. Keep up with all of Tim’s work at www.Facebook.com/timcarrollart, and order your own print while they last!