Pilar Ovalle

Barca Pez (Fish Boat) -Suspended wood sculpture by Chilean artist Pillar Ovalle

Chilean artist Pilar Ovalle's sculpture "Barca Pez," or "Fish Boat," is crafted with driftwood collected from lake shores in Chile combined with dimensional Alerce, a native Chilean wood. It can be suspended as shown or a custom bracket (not included) can be designed based on the site to make it into an exciting wall sculpture. In Ovalle’s imagination, boats embody animal forms, reinforcing the imaginative versus physical nature of the boat as a representation of travel. Ovalle says of her work, "As I work directly with Nature, combining wood already ‘worked’ by wind, water and time, with ‘elaborated’ - sawn - wood, I do this with a critical scope, dealing with ecology and progress, with emotion and poetry somehow set against rationality and technology, or setting ‘wisdom’ against mere information." This sculpture is suspended from two wires, but could also be wall hung with a custom bracket (not included). We would be happy to assist with the design of this custom bracket. Ovalle traveled to Southern Chile to study with boat builders and learn the traditional skills of the trade, which is evident in the graceful curve of the hulls she has built with traditional joinery and wood "stitches" and without the use of nails. Born in Santiago, Chile, Pilar Ovalle began her studies in 1989 at the Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago. She studied with the Instituto through the early '90s, during which time she also won Third Prize at the XV Concurso de Arte Joven (Young Art Contest) and received grants from Fondart (National Fund for the Arts) for her projects “Sculpture with Shattered Wood” and “Curved Wood Sculpture...

This playful, interactive pedestal sculpture is a delicate balance of lava stone, carved wood, and bronze on a polished concrete base. Please watch the short video here to see the artist, Jeff Wise, assemble the sculpture and set it in motion. Jeff Glode...

ABOUT This Charred white oak mushroom acts as a stool or end table. “There’s no color in my work,” says Shlafer, “I either burn it, bleach it, or leave it alone.” Shlafer’s sculptures are designed with rudimentary material such as pine, oak, and spruce salvaged as driftwood on the Eastern end of Long Island. The artist started this body of work during the pandemic after he stumbled upon the charming discoveries while traveling on foot by the coastline. Always a wayfarer at heart, he drew inspiration from his youth of traveling on a motorcycle through Southern Africa and seeing indigenous art made from ordinary earth objects within local villages. “Wishbone 1” a 5 Foot sculpture, charred white oak with a tinted aqua resin base that reflects an omen of resilience and hardiness in light of the hardships of the past pandemic year, In another “Tune” a bleached spruce fence post narrowed into a tuning fork shape with a slate base. It welcomes a ceremonial vibe. “At the end of the day, that’s the energy we all crave,” says Shlafer, “who doesn’t respond to that?” “Mushroom #3” a charred white oak sculpture that is versatile in design so it can act as an end table or a stool. It is masterfully crafted and brings to mind the redwood...

ABOUT “There’s no color in my work,” says Shlafer, “I either burn it, bleach it, or leave it alone.” Shlafer’s sculptures are designed with rudimentary material such as pine, oak, and spruce salvaged as driftwood on the Eastern end of Long Island. The artist started this body of work during the pandemic after he stumbled upon the charming discoveries while traveling on foot by the coastline. Always a wayfarer at heart, he drew inspiration from his youth of traveling on a motorcycle through Southern Africa and seeing indigenous art made from ordinary earth objects within local villages. “Wishbone 1” a 5 Foot sculpture, charred white oak with a tinted aqua resin base that reflects an omen of resilience and hardiness in light of the hardships of the past pandemic year, In another “Tune” a bleached spruce fence post narrowed into a tuning fork shape with a slate base. It welcomes a ceremonial vibe. “At the end of the day, that’s the energy we all crave,” says Shlafer, “who doesn’t respond to that?” “Mushroom #3” a charred white oak sculpture that is versatile in design so it can act as an end table or a stool. It is masterfully crafted and brings to mind the redwood stools...