Tag Archives: #sculpture

Christopher David White

Christopher David White is a trompe l’oeil sculptor whose works are handmade predominantly from clay and rendered with acute attention to detail, often resembling decaying pieces of wood, rusted metal, and other objects in various stages of deterioration. Most of his work sticks to an earthy color palette of browns, rustic oranges, yellows, and gray concrete tones, though a seemingly out-of-place splash of color will make an appearance every now and then. He began his career in the arts through drawing and painting. It wasn’t until 2008 when he started to work heavily with clay, and received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Indiana University in 2012. He went on to receive his Masters of Fine Arts in Clay from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015.  He says this about his work:

“There is a peace that can be found in even the simplest things. Ordinary elements within our environments offer both visual and physical reminders of our connection with nature. I am inspired by the small, overlooked aspects of our environment, finding enjoyment in the unexpected discoveries that come from simply being observant of the minutia and incorporating those mundane forms into my work. Crumbling Brick, rusting metal, and rotting wood become sources of inspiration. In my observations I also see similarities between the processes that occur in nature and those that drive us. By combining both man-made and natural elements within my work I hope to highlight the fact that we are not separate from nature but are, in fact, part of it.”

More of his work can be viewed on his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Christopher David White.

Yoshimasa Tsuchiya

Yoshimasa Tsuchiya was born in 1977 in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He graduated from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2001, and completed the doctoral course at the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation, Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2007. He is know primarily for his real and imaginary animal sculptures, which can seem mystical or realistic with their smooth milky white coloring.  He uses traditional Buddhist carving techniques with the texture so smooth, a quality not usually seen in wood carvings. He also uses crystal or glass for the unfocused eyes that enhances its mysterious quality. His works have received favorable reviews at exhibitions and art fairs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Europe. 

The artist can be followed on Twitter.

Images:  Courtesy of Yoshimasa Tsuchiya.

Tetsuya Nagata

Ten years ago Osaka born paper artist Tetsuya Nagata started collecting wooden moulds with which Japanese traditional sweets are made.  Having collected more than 2,000 molds, Nagata created three dimensional embossed groupings of sea breams, peonies, chrysanthemums, deities and more.  The material used is Japanese paper, washi, made from mulberry, mitsumata, and ganpi. By pressing Nishinouchi washi into the carved wooden molds he created delicate sculptural works that celebrate tradition with a contemporary flair. He learned this technique of natural sculpting at Tokyo University of the Arts Faculty of Fine Arts.

 “I would like to leave a memory of Japanese beauty and tradition that people have forgotten. I am fascinated by the beauty of Japanese design that has been put into wooden moulds. Those moulds have in themselves the history of each craftsman’s work.”

You can follow the artist here on his website.

Images:  Courtesy of Tetsuya Nagata.

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