Wednesday, March 3, 2010

WOOD: LOST AND FOUND

Henrique Oliveira creates massive installations from discarded construction fences.


"A breakthrough occurred while he was a student at the University of São Paulo, where for two years the view from his studio window was a wooden construction fence. Over time Oliveira began to see the deterioration of the wood and its separation into multiple layers and colors as similar to the process of painting. One week before the final student show opened, the construction was finished and the worn out plywood fence was discarded. Oliveira collected the wood and used it in his first installation" - Rice Gallery


Keith Long is drawn to tactile materials that exhibit their own history.
"Building them into sculpture allows them, phoenix-like, to rise again and add another chapter to their existence."

Mermaid 10 by Keith Long


Kathedraal by GALERIEopWEG on Flickr


Thermals by Rosalie Gascoigne
Ritratto by Alton Falcone

Drift wood assemblage by John Dahlsen
"John Dahlsen isn't your average artist. A bold statement to make but appropriate after you realize the sheer depth and determination which goes into the work this man has produced over the past seven years. Although he has been within art circles for much longer than that, it is only in the most recent years, which have seen Dahlsen create a different form of art with environmental messages and strong statements. It is 'found' object art, be that organic or inorganic.He would be seen scavenging beaches in search of plastics, specific colours and sizes. He is also known for venturing along the edge of Victoria alone in search of driftwood. Boat trips, four-wheel-drive tours and scaling 40 meter-high cliffs, were all part of the process for this driftwood exhibition and Dahlsen admits at times there were death-defying moments grabbing the perfect piece of wood."

Cracking Box by Paul Nash




Driftwoodart by dinapanou on Flickr



More driftwoodart by dinapanou

50 comments:

  1. Don't you just love getting new books!!! by the look of your last post, you have chosen well Robyn :)

    And just look at this post WOW!!!Henriques work is incredible....of course love the Rosalie piece too. xxJo

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  2. These are brilliant! I love the colors, the textures...there is something amazingly comforting about driftwood, it reminds me somehow of a comfortable worn quilt that knows many more secrets than it will ever tell, and I particularly like the items using it.

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  3. Wood. such tactile stuff, I love beautifully stacked wood piles, they have beauty of there own.
    Drift wood, I cant leave it on the beach, it has to come home. Love it growing and dead.
    Thanks Robyn for these images.

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  4. Henrique Oliveira's pieces are certainly magnificent and quite fascinating.

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  5. What a fabulous collection of art work
    made from 'found' materials, this is a real inspiration. Thank you for showing us, three of these artists I was not familiar with.

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  6. You are an encyclopedia of the best images. Thanks for all of your compilations. You make it easy for us to see the best of the best. I love your taste and aesthetic.

    Kim

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  7. I absolutely love weathered worn wood-- the subtle color variations and the textures-- the sheen of the passage of time-- whether it is by man or nature-- wonderful artists featured here.

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  8. Thanks for sharing this inspiring art Oliveira's installations look particularly stunning.

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  9. wonderful post as always Robyn! I am familiar with Oliveira's work, but these shots are just wonderful! isnt it amazing what he does with those fences? I watched a doc on him and his work and I was just enthralled! and the keith long piece is stunning and whimsical, just love that! hope you are well!

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  10. I can see why you like these. I really love the mermaid, by Kieth Long and the Cracking Box by Paul Nash. Thanks for introducing me to these great sculptors!

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  11. Another wonderful collection. I have to say our own Rosalie Gascoigne is one of my favourites. We went to a cubism exhibition here recently and some of her work was featured there.

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  12. I want to touch it all, dont you? lovely thank you lyle

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  13. Robyn, You have taken us again on a wild and wonderful ride...these photos are spectacular. My favorite is Kathedraal piece...the texture and colors and shades of whites truly speak to me. Thanks again!

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  14. You always find the most interesting things. I love the driftwood art.

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  15. Oh my! I love the organic nature of Olivera's work.

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  16. He might have taken a brush and painted in the first two pictures. What amazing colour. Inspiring!

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  17. Love the story of the installation sculptures resulting from construction fence deterioration!
    I am also drawn to the comment of materials rising phoenix-like to add another chapter to their history...
    Yumminess abounds~

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  18. What a fabulous collection of textures and colours you've assembled for us here Robyn. I just want to reach in there and touch that wood!

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  19. Perfectly rich textures Robyn! I love the way weather can alter wood to create really stunning colors, lines, and shapes.

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  20. Thank you for the inspiring art, I have always loved the texture of aged wood and peeling paint on wood. I will need to take some photos of our alley, there's some great textures, take care.

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  21. Love this collection, particularly the Oliveira's huge piece and the driftwood assembly - it reminds me of seeing wood stores all stacked up beside mountain homes in Switzerland. Always something very beautiful about those as well.

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  22. That mermaid by Keith Long is wonderful and I love the last piece too, beautiful shell!

    Such beautiful wood, I just want to touch it.

    Have you found time to do much carving yourself? It must be such a therapeutic and relaxing thing to do.

    Jacky xox

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  23. This is once again a fabulous post. You always find the most interesting art works. These are all quite fascinating. My favorite is "Ritratto" by Alton Falcone.

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  24. Jo, Henrique's work makes my jaw drop.

    A Creative Dream, driftwood colours seem to be my favourite at the moment and there is quite a range from warm to cool greys.

    Penny, stacked wood ...yes, love it too.

    Azirca, there are a lot of Henrique Oliveira pieces on the internet and all of them are amazing.

    Ian, I'm glad you found 3 new artists. Its a challenge and a victory for me to find new work.

    Kim, thanks so much :-)

    Donna, the colours of weathered wood.... just wonderful!

    Jill, glad you enjoyed Oliveiras work.

    Cat, there's a video clip I watched about Henrique a few months ago. Amazing!

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  25. Love it all. Thank you so much Robyn for this post. Just wish I could stand in front of these pieces. This is the next best thing.Much appreciated.x

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  26. Love the first photo! Amazing!! The heart is cute. I love old wood and driftwood - wish I was able to do more with it than just collect and admire!!LOL

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  27. Ro, what amazes me about Rosalie is just how much of her work is out there. She must have created all day and night!

    Mary Ann, Kathedraal is my favourite piece as well.

    Thanks Lisa at Greenbow.

    Chris, .... the flow of his work is so beautiful.....like waves curling and tunneling.

    Priya, I think Henrique colours some of the wood.

    DJ, Yumminess indeed!

    Caroline, I know the feeling.

    Leslie, shades of grey .... no wonder you love them.

    Museum of Pablo, I will look out for your photos of the alley.

    Annie, I've yet to visit Switzerland.

    Jacky, carving is therapeutic once the heavy side is finished .... and if the weather isn't sizzling.

    Thanks Gaby.

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  28. Catherine V Bainbridge, both the mermaid and the cracking box have been in my favourites file for months.

    Lyle, it would be great to touch these pieces and just to look at tem face to face.

    Oogleboops, collectin and admiring driftwood is good too :-)

    Pam, it would be great to experience them in person especially Henrique's work.

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  29. Robyn, your blog is such a treasure trove of information and art tangents...I could spend all day here.

    Weathered wood is one of my many fascinations. I'm just amazed at what Oliveira has created and Dahlsen's environmental work is brilliant.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  30. I always learn so much when I come for a visit on your blog.
    From learning about interesting thinker and artists such as Hugh Prather and Henrique Oliveira...and you.

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  31. I especially love the work of the first artist.

    I wanted to carve wood, when I first started as an artist. My sculpture prof told me that he would never start someone carving wood, and had me carve stone instead. I loved it! I still think wood is beautiful.

    P.S. Thank you for turning me onto the Art from Intuition book!

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  32. all very cool work, Robyn - especially that kathedraal piece. Hope you are back in the groove with your sculpture work.

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  33. enchanted by entering those colored caverns of weather ed wood... thank you. thanda thanda.

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  34. Oliveira has created a world! LOVE IT!
    I'm also thrilled with your find in Falcone. I can't verbalize why, but this piece gave me a powerful connection.
    Great work, Robyn. Thanks.

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  35. Oliveira's work appears to be as fluid as paint. I'm amazing that he saw the possibilities in the old fence. The lock on the driftwood heart box intrigues me. I want to touch it.

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  36. You had me with the plywood fences :-0...aren't they grand!!

    ...the mermaid is such a sweet charmer love it mixed in with the powerful simplicity and muted tones of the constructions.

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  37. Amazing work! I've said it before and I'll say it again ... I love to visit your blog for wonderful inspiration. Thank you for finding such beautiful art to share with us!

    Carolyn

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  38. Amazing that a medium that may be considered rigid can be so fluid. Brilliant and amazing art work. Thanks for highlighting these artists Robyn. A wonderful post.

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  39. Lisa, glad you enjoyed the weathered wood!

    Mo'a, thank you so much.

    Karine, I wonder why your prof was against wood sculpture. Do you have any stone pieces?

    Catherine, I'm getting there!

    Mansuetude, they are caverns aren't they? I would love to have a closer look.

    Shayla, Falcone's work is exciting for me too!

    Stevie, dinapanou's work just calls out to be touched. I love the simplicity.

    Merci33, Keith Long's pieces bring out the beauty of weathered wood and I love his sense of humor.

    Carolyn, its a pleasure.

    Sylvia, the beauty of Henriques work (besides the size) is the fluidity. Quite amazing how it flows.

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  40. You always have such interesting work to share here...so many fascinating artists to feature. It's a joy every time I stop by:)

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  41. Amazing creations here. A merging of nature and man in every piece. Some of these must be so stunning to see in person.

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  42. Great post, the drift wood as with many other people is my favourite, however the construction fence pieces is inspiring. Regards Dave

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  43. Hi Robyn - BIG apologies for not getting to your blog as much as I'd like too. It's crazy busy here at home with trying to get our house ready for listing on the market next week. Of course, it's one step forward and two back sometimes, as Jason follows me round undoing everything I do, lol!
    Anyway, just love this new source of inspiration and also, your last posting has some terrific looking books too (that bibliophile that I am can't resist of course!). The bird by bird one looks interesting. I have discovered wetlands. The local ones more to the point. Even more fascinating is reading and learning about the birds that visti or come to stay....I've just bought the most gorgeous publication for my library: http://www.mwpress.co.nz/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=741
    I have fallen in love....

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  44. Wow, I love the old wood here, the cracks and the shades of brown. I'm especially drawn the the heat with the metal pieces attaching both sides. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend... roxanne

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  45. wow! what a gorgeous cyclone of reclaimed wood that installation is Robyn - I love it!! Mermaid is sweet and playful to me. those are probably my favorites here, but anything wood warms my artist eye :)

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  46. OK, Beautiful! Had to give my fave SA artist some linky love in my latest blog post!
    I wish I could do more to THANK YOU for your support and friendship.
    I've always called you this, but you are, indeed, Beautiful. Inside and out. Your inner beauty shines in everything you create and share.
    {{Big Hugs}}
    Love & Laughter...

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  47. Thank you for introducing us to some wonderful artists. It is much appreciated.

    Warmest regards,
    Egmont

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  48. speechless.
    such gifts in the world
    for such gifted spirits.

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  49. We've been thinking of framing our windows and doors using little scrap pieces of wood (kind of like the kathedraal piece) and these give me all kinds of ideas!

    Adding Afrikan Alphabets to my reading list!

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  50. Robyn,
    WOW. Such a treasure trove of fantastic art and links. You are so generous to share!
    Thank You!

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