Jerry Friedman is a longtime cottager on Bella Lake near Algonquin Park. It is in the shallows of Bella Lake that he finds the raw wood for his driftwood sculptures. Initially the beauty in these pieces is not apparent. When found, they are covered in silt and algae and quite fragile. After drying for months, the fragile pieces require reinforcement and then meticulous cleaning and sanding. This brings out the texture and grain of the wood. It is the finishing with a natural oil that highlights the grain in the wood. Many of the pieces are wall mounted or dramatically placed on Muskoka granite.
Jerry was one of the founding members of the Artists of the Limberlost Studio Tour and participated every year on the tour since its beginning in 2007. He is now a member of the Muskoka North Studio Tour taking place the third weekend in August.
In developing his craft Jerry has been inspired by the work of the Olympic Driftwood Sculptors and the Northwest Driftwood Artists located on the Olympic peninsula of Washington state.
Work
