Michael Kukla

Michael Kukla was born in Prague, Czech Republic, he moved to the US in 1971 and studied painting at Castleton State College in Vermont, where he received his BFA; and sculpture at Hochshule der Kuenste in Berlin, Germany. Kukla has shown in the US and Europe. Among his many commissions for sculpture, Michael was hired by Apple Computer to create marble pedestals for the full line of Apple computers in the year 1992. See more;

Work on Paper

"I work with gouache on paper. The work is monochromatic from black to light gray or silver in tonality. Cellular-like structures emanate from atop a thin wash of light gray or silver and build freely in open air when darker cells appear within lighter cells. This lends the work a sculptural space that can appear either positive or negative. I want the viewer to be able to visually penetrate the paper's surface."

Sculpture

"My sculpture stems from my work on paper. I am inspired by the act of nature and time upon natural materials such as stone and wood. I work with marble, slate and plywood slabs. Sometimes the work is pierced through the other side which allows light to filter through. By drilling and grinding out cellular-like structures, I try to create an organic surface that seems naturally transformed."