Abigail Castaneda

Abigail works with wood from her studio near New York City. Her sculptural pieces captivate us with their finesse and finish. As part of our Chromatic Variations of Wood selection, we invite her to answer a few questions.

Hello Abigail, how did you get into woodworking?

The ubiquity of wood has always interested me. I became curious about how we humans transform it into everyday objects and art. I started working at a furniture company as a means of learning the craft and making a living. The structure of working in a production-based shop, designing and recreating the same pieces allowed me to develop a practice of relating with wood through my body and the tools that shape my creations.

Your work is very sculptural and subtle. What do you want to express through these shapes and finishes?

I hope my forms carry a kind of softness that lets the material speak for itself. I see my role as staying attentive to what the wood already holds. Wood is a material that has quietly shaped and supported our lives for thousands of years. It built our homes, carried our food, and warmed our fires. It’s one of the oldest materials we’ve worked with, and it invites a slower pace of making and being. But in modern life, we rarely move at this pace. We scatter, accelerate, and devour- always rushing toward the next thing. In contrast, a tree does not hurry. It thickens ring by ring, its body holding the spirit of weather patterns and the long, slow labor of becoming. Years of reaching for light, of rain’s weight, of winter’s interiority, of roots descending into the chthonic.

How do you choose the species you work with? 

I like to work with what’s nearby and use what’s abundant in my local landscape. My materials come through relationships with arborists, sawyers, or simply from proximity to place. Catalpa is a good example: it grows quickly in the Northeast, carves beautifully, and brings a warmth that’s often overlooked. It may not be a conventional choice, but it’s exactly what I need. There’s an idea I hold close: in every system (ecological, cultural, or creative) real change often begins at the margins. New movement rarely starts in the center of the stream; it stirs along the banks, where variation and resilience live. I approach material in much the same way. What’s been dismissed or forgotten often carries the most potential.

You are based near New York, does this creative city influence your work?

I live north of the city in a quiet area of the Catskill Mountains. I was born on a small island in the Philippines called Cebu. My family immigrated to the US when my brother and I were children. We lived in the city for some time, but we eventually settled in the Hudson Valley. The commercialization of New York City has relocated many people to the Hudson Valley area. I think that creative energy abounds here as well.

Our Spring Selection, in which you are participating, pays homage to the color variations of wood. Can you tell us about your connection to this theme?

I see color in wood as an expression of its unique DNA and its ongoing relationship with its ecosystem. It is shaped by soil composition, rainfall, fungal interaction, and the tree’s own internal chemistry- what botanists might call extractives. I see this as a record of the tree’s life and not simply byproducts of biology. They are also evidence of participation, an embodied record of ongoing dialogue with place: moments of abundance, adaptation, and pause. I try to honor that complexity.

What does a cup represent for you?

The gesture of offering and gathering. I believe bowls and vessels become containers for symbolic language when we look beyond their physical form. The interior of a vessel is a gathering place for the abundance of the earth, and a cradle for what was once animated by spirit. Its circular form echoes the endless return of the seasons, the cyclical dance between birth and death, and the infinite flow of time. We hear echoes of the womb, the cave, and the grail. It speaks of feminine mysteries, nourishment, and receptivity.

Can you introduce us to the two pieces that will be exhibited in the Spring Selection?

The first piece from the Spring Selection is turned from maple and finished in a matte, bone-white tone. Its surface is soft and almost chalky, highlighting the subtle curves and focusing attention on the form. The second piece is made from catalpa, finished with oil to bring out the wood’s natural warmth and gentle movement in the grain. Both pieces are simple in shape but have a presence, each one shaped by the character of its wood.