circle of life Sculpture

I am an electrical engineer and construction project manager by profession with a passion for creating abstract sculptures from dead wood, tree stumps and drift wood. I was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa when I was 10 years old. It was in the small town of Nelspruit where I first discovered the intricate shapes and diverse forms of weathered and termite eaten tree stumps. My first collected pieces inspired me to explore and learn the various wood carving and finishing techniques. The ultimate objective being to reveal and highlight the wonderful colors, grain patterns and abstract shapes and forms hidden within the found local indigenous wood specimens. Due to the unique twisted and contorted shapes of the wood used, my work is inherently abstract in nature and form and each completed piece is therefore a one of a kind creation. My preferred method for shaping the sculpture is with hand chisels, which allows me to have a closer more intimate feel for the shape and form I wish to create. I resort to machinery only where it is required for the rapid removal of large quantities of wood or where the wood is too hard to be worked on by hand tools. I prefer traditional finishing techniques using various grades of sand paper culminating in a final polish of 1000 grit and 0000 wire wool. The sculpture is then treated with an oil based product and finally finished of with antique furniture wax. I strive for perfection where ever possible. I was fortunate to be selected in the top 100 for the 1999 ABSA Atelier Competition.