Crafted of stained and painted wood, Stephen Klema’s Rybee House 3 is a roofed functional bench that looks as if it might have been carved from a tree by woodland elves. Klema acknowledges the work incorporates a sense of whimsy and fantasy, but adds that it also speaks to such archetypal forms as shelter and nature, making it a perfect fit for its current location at Robinson Nature Center.
Klema merges the old with the new in his work, using digital technology like Adobe Illustrator to develop his designs and then fabricating his sculptures with traditional building materials such as wood and metal. He has shown his work in regional and national juried exhibitions. This is his third ARTsites exhibit. His sculpture titled Wood’s Revenge: Resawn was part of ARTsites 2014 and Rybee House II was included in ARTsites 2017.
ARTsites 2019 sculptures will be on display through July 2020. You might not be able to get out and see all of these sculptures right now, but you can take a virtual look at all twelve here. And once Robinson Nature Center has reopened, stop by for a selfie in front of Rybee House 3 – and be sure to share it to our Facebook page because we’d love to see it!