Costello Sculpture

is located on Yellow Pony Farm in the rolling countryside of southwest Virginia. My work originated from all stone sculptures to the inclusion of wood elements. The kinetic element in my work developed over 20 years ago and is now the main focus of my sculptures. In my work, I try to link architectonic and anthropomorphic imagery.

Using wood as the primary medium combined with stones used as weight, I create sculptures I refer to as non-functional furniture. I use various types of wood including, mahogany, tiger maple, walnut, oak, sycamore, cherry, and others. The more prominent stone in my work is a soapstone called steatite, though I also use alabaster.

The sculptures are created by using typical wood shop tools such as jointers, planers, bandsaws, sanders, etc. I start by carving out a set of stones and design the body of the piece around the stones. The body is sanded and filed through many different procedures. I grind the stone out of large slabs and polish them by hand.

From start to finish, the work takes anywhere from a week to two weeks to complete. My sculptures are made for indoor use and swing for approximately 30 minutes.