Derrick Crossland

Derrick Crossland Bio
Derrick Crossland is an abstract wood Sculptor who lives and works in Islamorada Florida. A native of Denver, Colorado, his early years were profoundly influenced by Jacques Cousteau underwater documentaries. Now living in the Florida Keys, the ocean continues to influence his work with designs which capture nature's fluid organic designs.
As a teen he showed natural early ability by carving sharks from bars of soap and designing and building furniture pieces. Later while working on his BS at the University of Colorado he discovered his passion for art when studying Art and Art History. After college he worked in the trades becoming a Master Cabinet and Furniture maker. This life long experience with wood and woodworking would lay the foundations he needed to create the complex artistic pieces he makes today.
Totally self taught his work has been influenced by many artists. Mainly Tapio Wirkkala, a Finnish designer and sculptor who was the first to work with the medium Russian Baltic Birch. Wirkkala has many museum sculptures to his credit. Other artists who have influenced his work range from modern contemporary wood sculptors to ancient classical stone masters. By merging some of their techniques and styles with his own, he has developed his own unique art style which has continued to evolve over the years into today's uniquely distinctive artistic designs.
His sculptures are first constructed using layers of Russian Baltic Birch then carving this proto block into the finished design. Carving through the laminated product exposes lines of striation, inherent in the product. These lines are an intregal part of the cosmetic appeal of the art.
During creation Derrick’s focus is on creating seamless fluity in the shapes and by achieving this accomplish an illusion of undulating motion. The audience is lured into the subject by the flowing topographic lines which gracefully glide along the sculpture.