By Lisa Coburn

Step into D. Ray Bozic’s studio and you quickly realize that nothing here is accidental. Driftwood, broken instruments, discarded electronics, feathers, and fragments of everyday life share space in what appears at first glance to be creative chaos. But in Bozic’s hands, these objects become something else entirely.

“Whatever comes into my hands,” he says with a smile, “it’s just possibly what becomes something else.”

Bozic describes himself as a mixed-media artist, teacher, and musician, but those labels barely capture the curiosity that drives his work. For decades he has been assembling pieces that blur the lines between sculpture, painting, and installation, transforming found objects into works that challenge how people see the world around them.

Seeing the Familiar in New Ways

Many of Bozic’s pieces begin with objects others might overlook: a discarded guitar neck, driftwood shaped by river currents, a broken plate, even a cracked car light.

One sculpture began with an old black-and-white television set that no longer worked. After experimenting with its electrical components, Bozic ultimately transformed the gutted television into a playful assemblage he calls the “Fishing Channel,” complete with driftwood and cartoon fish cut from an illustration his son created as a child. That piece is now on display at Tamarack Marketplace.

The process is rarely planned.

“People bring me things and say, ‘Maybe you can do something with this,’” he explains. “Eventually something finds its place.”

That spirit of experimentation carries through much of his work. Instruments salvaged from repair shops become clocks. Driftwood pieces become crosses or structural forms. A single cricket leg, glued into a complex assemblage of natural materials (organic art), once became the unexpected detail that captivated a collector.

“The buyer told me it was the cricket leg that did it,” Bozic laughs. “You never know what people are going to connect with.”

Encouraging People to Pause

Bozic is less interested in recreating reality than in challenging how viewers interpret what they see. His art frequently combines recognizable objects in unfamiliar relationships, something he believes encourages deeper engagement.

“People like when they can see something,” he says. “They want to recognize it. So I give them things they recognize, but in a different relationship.”

The result is work that invites viewers to pause, reconsider, and interpret.

“If I can get someone to stop and look, just stop what they’re thinking for a moment, then we’ve taken an adventure together.”

That philosophy was evident in one of his series built from discarded credit and membership cards. The shimmering surfaces drew people in, and many stopped to examine the piece closely even if they didn’t always know exactly what they were looking at.

One gallery attendant told him she had never seen so many people stop in front of a single piece.

“That’s the goal,” Bozic says. “Just to get people to stop and look.”

Nature, Materials, and the Balance Between Them

A recurring theme in Bozic’s recent work is the relationship between the natural world and the manufactured materials that surround modern life.

Driftwood, often shaped by beavers or water erosion, appears in many of his pieces alongside metal, plastic, and other artificial elements.

“We live on an organic planet,” Bozic says thoughtfully. “But we surround ourselves with artificial things every day.”

The contrast is intentional, in what is called Eco Art.

“We appreciate convenience more than we respect our planet,” he says. “My purpose is to bring awareness to our relationship with the natural world.”

Through assemblage and sculpture, Bozic hopes viewers will reflect on what he describes as the “dichotomy” of modern life: the tension between nature and the materials humans create and discard.

“I hope the work leads people to see that balance a little differently.”

Art, Faith, and Community

Art is also intertwined with service in the lives of Bozic and his wife, Rebecca. The couple frequently creates driftwood crosses that are sold to raise funds for charitable causes.

Their work has supported organizations including Love in the Name of Christ in Fishersville, Virginia, and the Greenbrier Pregnancy Center.

The crosses have also appeared in churches throughout the region, sometimes traveling with congregations before eventually finding permanent homes in sanctuaries.

“It’s just something we felt led to do,” Rebecca explains.

For the couple, creativity and faith are not separate pursuits but part of the same journey.

Where to Experience Bozic’s Work

You can find Bozic’s work at Tamarack Marketplace and at Alderson Artisans Gallery. For more information about current pieces or inquiries, Tamarack can be reached at (304) 256-6843 or online at tamarackwv.com, and the Alderson Artisans Gallery can be contacted at 304-445-7952 or through their website, aldersongallery.com, or the Alderson Artisans Gallery Facebook page.

An Artist Still Exploring

Despite decades of artistic exploration, Bozic still approaches his work with curiosity rather than certainty.

“I’m always processing what the next thing might be,” he says.

That sense of ongoing discovery may be why his studio continues to fill with objects waiting for their moment. Old skis, musical instruments, bits of driftwood, and pieces of everyday life that others might discard all sit quietly until something clicks.

Among them is the next work of art. And when that moment arrives, Bozic says the pieces will reveal themselves, coming together in ways that feel almost inevitable.

“They just seem like they want to be together.”