Jon Doody

“I work in reclaimed materials whenever possible.  I explain my art as being the continuation of the story of the piece that I have worked.  The majority of my carvings come from materials cast off or rejected.  I try to find a new way to enjoy them and my carvings include the marks of my materials former lives.   For example, I completed a carving in marble reclaimed from the Maine State House renovations of the ’80’s, and included in the piece a poem that I wrote and hand translated into multiple languages to welcome newcomers to Maine.”

Jon Doody

Jon Doody is an Augusta based sculptor who has been juried in as a professional member of the Maine Stoneworkers Guild, a group dedicated to supporting fellow artists by sharing skills and techniques and introducing the art of stone carving to the public.  As a Guild member, Jon has participated in public demonstrations at the Common Ground Fair, Boothbay Railway Village, Viles Arboretum and now this summer he’ll be working outdoors at Stevens Commons in Hallowell.  Jon explains, “ I enjoy working in public, sharing my process.  I have learned that people become more involved and far more appreciative of art when they can observe the actual process as it takes place.  I have never felt a need to hide my skills, actually just the opposite.  I feel a kind of obligation to show others what I have learned. To pass on to others what can be done.  To show them that carving even something as hard and as permanent as stone need not be intimidating.”

I begin each new carving with an intended idea of how I desire the project to complete, but sometimes my materials have other ideas in mind.  That combination of my will and intent and that of the piece that I am working with is to me the most satisfying part of what I do.

I believe that a person’s own sense of place, their feeling of belonging, and their connection to that place is one of the most important aspects of a person’s life.  This isn’t always related to the time spent in a place, as it is by the connections that develop.  Because of this, I try to make my art reflect my own sense of place and belonging.  I try to reflect on what was done before, while at the same time realizing that the past cannot be re-lived, and change is the only real constant.

I try to incorporate into my subject matter themes that come from local culture.  I have included objects  that reflect my Irish and Acadian ancestry, as well as traditional Northern New England themes that include maritime, Celtic, and agrarian subject matter.