About Bob

Bob Bush discovered his passion for wood sculpting as a Fine Arts student at Ohio University. One of his instructors, David Hostettler, was a major influence in introducing Bob to the art of creating sculptures from a log of wood. His continuing art education included sculpting classes at the Dayton Art Institute.

As a young artist, Bob's first commissioned piece was a 16 foot tall, 10 foot wing span totem pole for the Camp Fire Girls in Dayton, Ohio, in celebration of their 50th anniversary.  That commission came about through Betty Lauderman, the woman who would become his mother-in-law and a major influence in his life.

Sculpting in wood blends the requirements of stamina and creativity, and as a "take-away" media dictates forethought and patience. Working with a log of wood, no matter what species of wood, challenges the sculptor's resilience. Wood will crack while drying, it can have knots or blemishes, and the characteristics of wood grain are unpredictable. Yet the physical demands and long hours of mallet and chisel, filing and sanding, finishing and steel wooling are tempered by the satisfaction of the finished product. The artist works the wood to take advantage of the beauty and uniqueness of the material.