It has been said that Richard Ehrenreich dances with a chain saw. It is true that he begins each piece in that way, and finishes them with a variety of tools primarily rubbing them with rocks or his hands. Born in 1951, in Buffalo, New York, Richard Ehrenreich was one of 9 children. He attended high school at Bishop Turner and later mathematics at Cansius College. Richard arrived in Healdsburg in 1971, where he has since worked as a woodsman and a builder.
Richard produces all of his own material for his work, selecting pieces of wood for their uniqueness in form, grain and scarcity. He is known for rescuing wood from burn piles, floods, storm debris and the woodsman’s ax. No trees were specifically harvested to create these works of art. The bay laurel from this current body of work comes from a Healdsburg heritage tree that Ehrenreich rescued from Fitch Street which was nearly 100 years old, and would otherwise have been turned into firewood.
Ultimately each piece has a uniqueness, inspired by the character of the material itself, recognized by the artist and then revealed in it’s new form. Each sculpture is a native of Healdsburg and the surrounding area.
