Birbeck, Robert (Sculpture)

Robert Birbeck was born in West Palm Beach, FL and attended the New England School of Art in Boston. For nearly two decades he lived in a thirty-foot motor sailboat traveling around coastal communities as a vagabond artist. He lived for a number of years in Europe before settling in Woodstock, NY, where he met his wife, Karin, then later in Provincetown, MA, and now lives in Wells, VT. At one time known for his oil paintings of nudes, Birbeck began sculpting while living in Provincetown, translating his figurative oils into ceramic sculptures. Soon after, he began his first stone sculpture, which then evolved into a variety of woods for his medium. During the last year Birbeck's sculpture was exhibited in three New York shows, as well as having one man shows in Massachusetts and Vermont. Birbeck's Red Shoe Series depicts robust nude women in highly polished mahogany. The warm wood tones, ultra-smooth surfaces, and voluptuous poses compel the viewer to feel as well as see these imposing figures. Some nudes are draped in clothing, but all wear glossy red high-heeled shoes, which has become his trademark for this series. Birbeck says of his new work, "There is no message in my sculpture. They are objects of sensation, not philosophical statements or social commentaries."