Artwork copyright James Entz. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright James Entz. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Hollow Region, 1994

James Entz
American (born 1957)

Location: Wenatchee Valley College, Wenatchee

About the Artwork

Hollow Region is a painted sculpture by artist James Entz. To make this piece, he applied more than a hundred layers of colored paint onto a piece of wood. He then bent the wood and carved into the paint to reveal the layers. This process took him close to a year to finish. He notes that different natural processes inspired these sculptures, such as the rings of a tree or layers of sedimentary rock. He notes, "The meaning comes from the process, not from the individual layers. Though in their arbitrary, sometimes intentional, and sometimes unconscious way, the layers tell the story, they record the time I spend in the studio: the colors I choose, the way I mix them, and the way I apply them."

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

About the Artist

California-based artist James Entz creates carved wooden sculptures that incorporate painted layers of vivid colors. His pieces explore metaphors of the creative process and the relationship between unpredictable and intentional artistic choices.