My 9′ wooden crane sculpture shapes up in the studio.
One of the reasons I opted to carve the giant crane for our Tsuru Project in wood is that I get truer contours when shaping grain; there’s a dialogue between the material and the form and the shape just emerges as I slowly shave away material, working from the center outwards to the creature’s extremities. I can rely on the inner logic of the strategically stacked grain of my laminations, like a graduated volume, to know when I have surfaces just right. It’s a much slower process than working in foam, but somehow leads to a truer, more plausible form.
Here are a few other reasons I opt for carving wood in my sculpture projects:
- Waste is non-toxic and can be composted or burned to heat the studio
- It’s a great workout and I get to use my favorite hand tools- drawknives, spokeshaves, gouges, planes and adzes.
- The simplicity of repetitive handwork gives me time to think, relax and focus.
To learn more about the development of Tsuru, please click here and scroll down.
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