above: Come together. Below: detail of Come togetherAustralian born sculptor and painter Ricky Swallow has many talents. Only one of which are his realistic wood carvings made with Jelutong, English Lime, Walnut and Pear wood.Although he has wonderful bronze works and watercolors, too, it's his wood carvings that emulate canvas, rubber, animals and more I want to share with you. The appearance of these sculptures suggest they are made of materials other than wood.The majority of the sculptures below are made of Jelutong*Sleeping Range:Fig.1:Fig.2The Bricoleur:Field Recording/Highland Park Hydra:Everything is nothing:The arrangement:Private dancer:Together is the new alone:Younger than yesterdayInstrument:Growing Pains (contingency for beginners): You can read a review or Ricky's 2006 show in the NY Times here.
*What is Jelutong?Jelutong (Dyera costulata) is a type of hardwood also known as jelutong bukit or jelutong paya. It grows in Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra and has the appearance of a straight grained wood with fine, even texture. Colors range from creamy-white sapwood and heartwood, maturing to a pale straw-yellow.It is light, soft, brittle, and weak with good stability in service, low decay resistance, and works easily with both hand and power tools.This type of wood planes to a nice, clean surface and glues, screws, and nails without difficulty. Stains, paints, and varnishes fairly well.It is popular for model making, patterns, wooden shoes, battery separators, and drawing boards. Also used for interior joinery and corestock for doors. Excellent wood for carving and sculpture due to its softness. Latex in the wood is extracted for chewing gum.above:
Ricky Swallow, Field RecordingsPublished by Craftsman House, 2005Edited by Ashley CrawfordText by Justin PatonThe artist at work and with his "Killer mask":above left photo by Brett Cody Rogers, above right photo by Diana PanuccioRicky now works and lives in Los Angeles and has several publications to his name and is represented by the following galleries:Modern Art23/25 Eastcastle StreetLondon W1W 8DFT +44 (0)20 7299 7950F +44 (0)20 7299 7951www.modernart.netMarc Foxx6150 Wilshire BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90042T +1 323 857 5571F +1 323 857 5573www.marcfoxx.comDarren Knight Gallery840 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo NSW 2017Sydney, AustraliaT +61 2 9699 5353F +61 2 9699 5254www.darrenknightgallery.comHamish McKay Gallery1st Floor, 39 Ghuznee StreetWellington New ZealandT + 64 4 384 7140F + 64 4 384 7142www.hamishmckaygallery.comRicky Swallow is presently showing at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia through February 2010
Speaking of wood carvings, don't forget to check out:
Peter Rolfe's Sculpted Wood Human Form Dressers here
