John and Jane Kostick

John and Jane Kostick draw heavily on geometry and mathematics in their artwork. They work both together as well as independently. John’s interest in geometry and many years of experience as a carpenter are reflected in his current artistic work, the building of compound curvature structures called Quadric Designs. There are several reasons for his compelling interest in this work: the satisfaction of finding innovative solutions to challenging problems, the appeal of doing more with less, enjoyment in doing original work, and above all simply the graciousness of curves and the notion that contoured shapes can be used as elements of building in ways that are not out of reach. He uses standard carpentry techniques and materials.

This year for WMOS John will be showing primarily his early work, the construction of highly symmetrical configurations of wires and sticks.  This work began for him in the mid 1960's, after he got introduced by Buckminster Fuller to the works originally developed by the artist Ken Snelson.  John works in bronze, glass, and wood. Together with his wife Jane, this past year he has been involved in making some of these geometric constructions as large-scale, hands-on, interactive exhibits for the Museum of Mathematics, www.momath.org.

Jane began woodworking in junior high and high school and went on to get a math degree in college, which is when she became interested in making artwork based on mathematical concepts.  After college she spent a year doing an informal apprenticeship with a furniture maker in Cambridge before starting her own woodworking business in a shop in Boston.  Since 1993 she has worked out of 574 Boston Ave, a Tufts-owned industrial building in South Medford.  Most of her artistic work in the past year has been based on John's designs.

More images of Jane and John's work can be seen at www.jjkostick.com.