As a lifelong practicing artist, teacher and wood boat builder, I was pleased to connect with Vaughn. Since recently becoming neighbors I was naturally granted a complete tour of his studio. What was exposed to me was like nothing I’ve seen before.
The extensive woodlot of naturally drying wood, to the workshop filled to the rafters with the most amazing shaped wood pieces waiting to be transformed. Vaughn’s workshop has every type of equipment needed to freeform shape these pieces, and then some!Walk behind the workshop and you will find a hand built adjustable leveling table for slabs of wood. Then the large doors are opened to the Sancta Sanctorum, a temperature controlled room filled with carefully placed, completed wood sculptures where they age and transform from opaque to translucency. It literally takes my breath away every time I am fortunate enough to enter.
During the time I have known Vaughn; I have witnessed a profound transformation of grain depth and brilliance of color in the sculptures in the aging room. Over the years coming to know Vaughn’s technique, commitment and determination I realize an overall approach and attitude is the bedrock from which all his work flows.
The spirit in Vaughn’s art comes from the natural shapes of the pieces, the growth patterns; inter locking shapes, and incredible translucent finishes. His process begins with years of air drying the wood, shaping the wood to its essence, to working the wood by hand oiling and hand sanding repeatedly.This entire process takes years to complete, because the wood is naturally dried and naturally oiled, it continues to age and become more brilliant to reveal and enhance the patterns of life itself.
Gordon Hoye