reclaimed wood

Posts tagged
with reclaimed wood

Photography

Found Wood Pieces Morph into Twisted Animal Portraits by Jonatan Maldonado

Jonatan Maldonado, a Los Angeles-based artist and creative director, has a strong sense of pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon causing humans to see faces and meaning in inanimate objects. In Creatures of the Ancient Forest, Maldonado’s black and white photographs frame found branches and chunks of wood at just the right angle, allowing viewers to catch a glimpse of a squawking bird or a horned animal poking its head out of a tree.

The dark, twisted series is ongoing, and the artist tells Colossal he’ll soon be in Alabama Hills, California, searching for more pieces⁠. “The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in California is the home to the oldest trees in the world,” he says. “Being surrounded by their spectacular shapes feels truly magical, or maybe it’s the lack of oxygen when hiking at 10,000 feet.” Follow Maldonado on Instagram to see what he spots next.

Design

Hand-Painted Wood Offcuts Form Colorful Dovetailed Chairs and Benches by Donna Wilson

Textile designer Donna Wilson’s newest body of work is a collection of colorful chairs and benches called Abstract Assembly. The designer, who you may be familiar with through her quirky plush characters like Rita Radish and Lenny Leopard, debuted her new venture into hard goods at this year’s London Design Festival.

The vibrant, multi-part chair backs are translated from Wilson’s watercolor paintings and use offcuts of oak, beech, and Douglas fir wood. Each design is a limited edition of ten. All components are hand-painted by Wilson and then dovetailed together (she partnered with Jon Almond on production). Design Milk quoted Wilson’s creative exploration that sparked the Abstract Assembly collection:

A year ago I embarked on a new direction with the main purpose to satisfy my creativity. I finally managed to stand back from what I was doing with my company and see what I needed to do. With no idea where it would take me, I started drawing and painting in the evenings. The next step was for me to bring these abstract doodle to life and start working in wood, I wanted to make hand-assembled pieces using traditional carpentry techniques and luckily my partner Jon was able to help me develop these pieces into a collection of chairs and mirrors.

See more from the Scottish designer on her website, where you can pick up a chair of your own, or peruse the wide array of Wilson’s fabric-based designs. You can also follow the company on Instagram and Twitter. (thnx, Kate!)

Art Craft

Driftwood Animals and Beach Homes by Kirsty Elson Give New Life to Elements From the Sea

Multi-media artist Kirsty Elson uses the bits of driftwood, shells, and other seaside scraps in her home in Cornwall, England to produce unique sculptures that imitate the surrounding seaside homes. Elson recreates the quaint cottages with minimal paint, utilizing bottle caps for lighthouse roofs, rusted nails for chimneys, and metal washers for decorative lifesavers. “The great thing about driftwood is that each piece is very different,” she explains in an interview with Studio Wallop. “I tend to let the materials lead me, rather than having an idea in my head and trying to find a piece to fit my idea… I let the materials do the work really.” The artist studied illustration and printmaking at the Cambridge School of Art. You can see more of her reclaimed sculptures on Instagram. (via #WOMENSART)

 

Art

Stumble Upon Seven New Reclaimed Wood Trolls by Thomas Dambo in the Forests of Boom, Belgium

In anticipation of Tomorrowland’s 15th anniversary, the Belgium-based festival commissioned Danish artist Thomas Dambo (previously) to build seven of his world-renowned trolls throughout the De Schoore area in Boom. Like his previous installations in Copenhagen, South Korea, and northern Illinois, the new cast of creatures are built from recycled and reclaimed wood from pallets, buildings, and fallen trees. Carved wood forms geometric noses and human-sized feet, while scraggly tree branches create untamed hair and beards.

“Trash is a material and it only depends on how you work with it,” Dambo explained in a press release about the project. “We can design an entire world out of trash. We need to look at it and then think about what to do with it. That’s why I’m building these bigger-than-life scale projects. By doing that and involving people, they will open their eyes and see the possibilities and opportunities that lay in our trash. I hope that my art will inspire people to recycle and encourage them to be kind to nature and our planet.”

Although the trolls were built for the festival, visitors to the De Schoore recreational area can also happen upon the 13 to 60-foot-tall sculptures, in addition to an observation tower built from found branches. Follow along with Dambo’s friendly beasts on his website and Facebook.

Art

Geometric Shapes and Angular Faces Combine in New Salvaged Wood Murals, Assemblages, and Tattoos by Expanded Eye

Expanded Eye (previously) is an arts collective formed by London-based artists Jade Tomlinson and Kevin James that utilizes a wide range of media to explore human consciousness and connectivity. The pair use salvaged wood to create colorful assemblages, sculptures, and public murals each designed in their unmistakable geometric style. Natural elements such as plants and birds are common motifs in their three-dimensional works. These images also cross over into their long-running tattoo practice which combines illustrated doodles, architecture-inspired renderings, and triangular patterns.

The duo is currently in Lisbon for a three month residency at WOZEN, which wraps up next month. During their stay they have been exploring the socio-economic and environmental pressures of the community, and creating work that seeks to address local issues of over-consumption, waste, and gentrification in Portugal’s capital. A cumulative exhibition titled No Future Without Memory will open at the space on November 9, and include the many large-scale three-dimensional works the pair have made during their time at the studio. You can follow more of their work on Instagram and Facebook.

Art

Mischievous Wooden Trolls Take Over an Arboretum in Northern Illinois

This summer, Danish artist Thomas Dambo (previously) has brought his fun-loving and kid-friendly trolls to the Morton Arboretum near Chicago, Illinois. Six site-specific characters range from Joe the Guardian surveying the neighboring highway to Sneaky Socks Alexa hidden in a cluster of shrubs. Dambo constructed the large storybook creatures using reclaimed wood sourced from fallen trees and branches as well as retired pallets and packing crates. Each figure towers up to thirty feet tall, with reclining Little Artur stretching sixty feet long. The exhibition, titled Troll Hunt, marks the Copenhagen-based artist’s first large-scale show in the United States. You can see Dambo’s fantastical creations at the Arboretum through the end of 2018 (and possibly into 2019, weather-dependent). Follow along with his creations on Facebook.