Roger Reutimann - "Regenerato"

Hi, my name is Roger Reutimann. You are standing in front of my sculpture Regenerato, which is Latin for "Rebirth." 

Shortly after I had received the invitation to participate in this exiting exhibition, the Marshall fires devastated over one thousand homes near Boulder where I live and work. This natural disaster was lingering on my mind for some time and eventually became the inspiration for this artwork, commemorating the event with a positive message of rebuilding our community. To support the idea of “Phoenix rising from the ashes” I decided to char the wood of the vase with a gas flame to create this organic texture and natural dark black color. The orchid, which symbolizes the rebirth, was spray painted with three shades of golden ink to resemble the colors of flames. The ink is transparent to allow for the wooden texture to shine through. 

Regarding construction, I intended to do something that was completely transforming the flat sheet of plywood we were given into a three-dimensional object, with both architectural and organically curved forms. The vase is constructed with 120 wood pieces, which are individually cut in precise angles to create the intended form. With the orchid I took a more trial and error approach by free forming it as I went along.