ARTS & COLLECTIBLES

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Artist Fay Wood’s lifelong practice of transforming found materials into evocative, tactile works positions her as a singular voice for collectors who value both material integrity and poetic depth.

JESSICA HALL

Fay Wood - Three-Ring Pandemic Circus- Trapped Dancer

Fay Wood - Three Ring Pandemic Circus - Can We Work Together

FROM LEFT:
Three Ring Pandemic Circus - Trapped Dancer, Galvanized & coated copper wire, Brass rings, found objects, hanging wire 18” x 12” x11”

Three Ring Pandemic Circus - Can We Work Together?, Galvanized & coated copper wire, found objects, Brass Rings

Fay Wood has never merely made art; she has made meaning from what others overlook. At 85, her six‑decade journey through painting, reverse glass, collage, and sculpture remains as vital and inventive as ever. “I love to have others enjoy it,” Wood says, “and to add to the growing list of artists my age who continue to produce excellent art of value for our culture.”

Her sculptures emerge from reclaimed wood, wire, metal, beeswax, and wasp nest paper, forming assemblages that resonate with history and presence. In Wood’s hands, discarded materials are transformed—rooted in memory yet articulated with elegance. “I treasure beautiful materials,” she explains, “and the joy in creativity.”

Curator Despina Tunberg praises her ability to blend material intuition with intellectual rigor. Wood’s work celebrates the poetic potential of everyday materials, turning what is overlooked into visual narratives alive with form and suggestion.

Wood’s evolution from painter to sculptor began at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where a mentor encouraged her to carve wood directly. Later experiences with large‑scale found‑object art crystallized her commitment to making from what already exists. “I never forgot the fantastic, noisy, beautiful pieces of detritus artists had collected,” she reflects.

Artist Fay Wood

Overachiever, Found wood, carved walnut, weathered Cherry wood, found metal 35.5” x 19” x 12”

Her practice has expanded into reverse glass paintings that glow with jewel‑like luminosity and narrative collages that layer history and personal metaphor. Across media, her work is unified by a belief that every surface holds significance and that even humble materials can become poetic gestures.

Wood’s work has been exhibited across the U.S. and Europe and featured in Private Air, Art New England, and Art Market as well as on PBS. Yet her focus remains on creative integrity. “My goal is permanence and uniqueness,” she says.

CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT:
In the Studio Again, Oil on canvas 36” x 36”
Matriarch, Found object assemblage 17” x 17” x 21”
Muse, Found object assemblage 52” x 12”

Collectors should take note because Wood’s art embodies a rare convergence of material authenticity, conceptual depth, and a lifetime of creative resilience. In a market increasingly drawn to works with story and substance, her pieces offer both visual richness and intellectual engagement. They reward sustained looking and thoughtful acquisition, making them compelling additions to discerning collections.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT:

The Hunter, Collage, found papers, vintage engravings 24” x 22”

The Artist’s Secret, Collage, found paper, found vintage engravings, color charts, found drafting templates, glue & polymer gel 24.5” x 24.5” (Private collection)

Mantis, Found objects, wood carving, paint, copper tubing. 60”x 16” x 18”

To view Wood’s work is to confront the enduring beauty of transformation—a reminder that art’s power often lies in what it rescues, reimagines, and resurrects.

See Fay Wood’s work at Artexpo New York 2026, April 9–12, at Pier 36, 299 South Street, NYC, Booth 107, where artists, collectors, and galleries from around the world convene to celebrate boundary‑pushing contemporary art.