Artwork copyright Michael Dennis. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Michael Dennis. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Elders, 2004

Michael Dennis
(American | Canadian, born 1941)

Location: Olympic College - Poulsbo, Poulsbo

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Michael Dennis used salvaged cedar from old growth logging sites to carve these sculptures for Olympic College in Poulsbo. The artwork aims to honor dwindling old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest and the generations of Native peoples inhabiting the local area.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Olympic College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Michael Dennis creates figurative sculptures in cedar wood and bronze. He states, "I try to capture the essence of human gesture from a tree using only the minimum definition required."

Born in Los Angeles, Michael Dennis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Reed College in Portland, Oregon in 1963. He earned a PhD in neurophysiology from Stanford University in California in 1967. He served as a professor of neurophysiology at University College London (in England) and at the University of California Medical Center. In 1980, Dennis moved to Denman Island, part of the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, and dedicated himself to art.