Bioé

Tony Figueiredo, born in 1954 in Santa Maria, Azores, was fascinated by art since childhood. While farm life on the Portuguese island never allotted the Figueiredo children the privilege of having toys, Tony would spend his free time carving miniature people out of potatoes and whittling toy cows out of corncobs. Even as a boy, the demand to create everything by hand with limited resources allowed Tony to develop a profound appreciation for hand-crafted materials, tools, art, and architecture, as well as for his heritage and lifestyle. He particularly enjoyed the structural design and interior of the Portuguese church, embellished with brightly colored paintings, clay sculptures, and enveloped in stained glass windows.

In 1960, when the Figueiredos moved to Hartford, Connecticut, Tony excelled in his art classes and found a sense of comfort and belonging through the language of art, being yet unable to speak English. His art teachers motivated and encouraged Tony, as he hoped to someday integrate art into his future career, particularly a three-dimensional medium. At age 18, Tony was introduced to wood carving at a college course and carved his first sculpture, a wooden torso, followed by his first wooden relief a year later. Indeed, the challenge to create three-dimensional art was more invigorating and enticing than the painting and drawing he studied in high school.

In 1974, Tony attended the University of Hartford, majoring in Fine Art, and became an apprentice for a professor who specialized in wood carvings. Concurrently, Tony began sculpting life-size pieces using chisels and gouges and entering local art shows. Apart from large caricatures, including Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, as well as mythical creatures, Tony was commissioned to carve intricate wooden signs and coffee tables. He enjoyed creating large full-body sculptures, not only because it was an unusual medium at the time, but also given the prominence and dynamism of sizeable pieces. His professor suggested saving time and energy with a chainsaw, while capturing substantial serrated cuts.

In spite of his love for carving, the need to fund for university tuition persuaded Tony to work simultaneously alongside his father, building stone walls, roads and bridges for a construction company. Like art class, the artistic ingenuity behind erecting large buildings, using only a set of plans and natural material, enthused and inspired Tony.

A little over a decade later, Tony started his own business as a contractor and undertook his passion to create art in the form of monumental structures. Nonetheless, Tony never lost his desire to pursue wood carving, albeit he had little time to spare. It was not until Tony turned 50 years old, that he dusted off his chainsaws and began carving again. He was awarded best in show and first place in wood carving at the Hebron Harvest Fair as well as at the Mystic Art Festival in 2006.

With hopes to recommence carving and to seek a more relaxing and fulfilling life, Tony left his construction business in Connecticut and relocated with his family to Bigfork, Montana in 2007. He expects to continue carving full-scale wood sculptures, including caricatures and realistic figures, as well as wildlife sculptures, wall reliefs, and wooden furniture.