Artist's Statement

For John Gaeddert, releasing the character and beauty in wood has become his art. Wood has a fascination all its own. Each piece has its own character suggesting the form, certain contours, intriguing blemishes, and various colors. John likes to work with medium-to-hard woods such as walnut, cedar, and osage orange — all Kansas woods — and some woods from Colorado, especially bristlecone pine.

The plains have greatly influenced John, for he grew up in rural Kansas and has spent most of his life as a teacher and pastor of Mennonite churches in the Great Plains. In his retirement he has found the opportunity to use his wood sculptures to express some of the simplicity, gentleness, growth, and relationship themes that have been important to him in his ministry over the years.