Michael Pappas

My wood sculpting journey began two years ago while relaxing in the North Carolina breeze at my home in Monroe. While admiring the swaying old oaks and sapling sweetgums, I had the idea to try my hand at carving a face into a small log that was lying around. You see, I have been a Chef for nearly 30 years and have butchered and filleted countless small and large cuts from fish and animals. I’ve cut thousands of vegetables and fruits into various dishes or displays. All of this experience ran through my mind as I tried to imagine how to cut away the wood from this log to form the human face. As expected, my first attempt was nothing noteworthy, but I saw something in it; I saw potential, trajectory, and felt a prompt within me to try again. My second attempt received a small bit of attention as it more closely resembled realism. A fire was started and my research began. I purchased a few chisels from Switzerland and invested a few hours of studying Michelangelo’s work. In my studies of his masterpieces, I began to see the curves of the human face in a new light. I saw the eye as an intricate sculpture all its own, the various angles of the human nose and its connection to the rest of the face were a galaxy of intellectual pursuit. I studied the face of David and I looked intently at my own face and began to imagine how this icon in history stroked his chisels across the surface. I tried to imagine his motivation in selecting certain angles, how he solved the challenges of arc and symmetry, and as I did, my eyes were opened to see more and more. This research propelled me into my third sculpture. The piece was named ‘The Fisherman’ and it was stunning. So much so that it sold online a few hours after listing it. Not only did it sell, but I began receiving phone calls for commission work. All the arrows were pointing toward investing more time into sculpting. My fourth and fifth pieces revealed a hidden talent that I was altogether unaware of. I entered these sculptures into the 2024 Woodcarvers Showcase, the largest woodcarving competition in the Southeast. Both carvings received awards and I knew it was time to link up with a gallery. Presson was kind enough to provide me with the opportunity to display my work and I could not be happier to team up with them.