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Aug 20, 2023

Maine artist's unique, ornate boxes become part of your life

Roger Barry says his boxes are intended to hold things that are precious to you

Roger Barry says his boxes are intended to hold things that are precious to you

Roger Barry says his boxes are intended to hold things that are precious to you

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Roger Barry says his boxes are intended to hold things that are precious to you

An artist from Edgecomb is turning boxes into sculptures, or as he calls them, interactive reliquaries.

"I call them reliquaries -it means you can put precious things in them," said Roger Barry. "And that's the important part of the box. I want you to become part of my artwork."

Barry said his array of ornate wooden boxes is best admired by using them.

"Normally, paintings and sculptures just sit there and you can admire them but my boxes, they become part of your life, like putting fun things in them," Barry said.

He makes everything in the basement of his home and says woodworking and craftsmanship are part of his family heritage. He is the fourth generation to have a career in lumber and wood.

"My father, the heaviest influence obviously, he was an architect, painter and sculptor and I was in his shop since I was born and he showed me how to do woodworking from everything, carving up to building homes," Barry said.

He says boxes drive his intrigue with wood. He often touts his finished pieces as a combination of elegance, function and fun.

Many of the boxes have secret locks that can create a baffling mystery for some people.

"One of the most fun things is having people come along and go, 'How do you open this?' and I say, 'Figure it out,' and most of the time they can't. So I get to show them how to open it and that's really fun."

All of the boxes are made from downed trees with the wood often earmarked as firewood. He says he rarely envisions a finished product when he gets the wood. Instead, the wood and grain dictate his direction.

"When you polish a piece of wood like that, the figure of the wood grain is so beautiful, it speaks to me, 'Make something out of me, don't just burn me,'" he said, laughing.

If you would like to see some of Barry's work, they are currently on display at the Art Space Gallery in Rockland and the Center Street Gallery in Bath.