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Monday, January 26, 2015

Develop Appreciation For Natural Beauty When You Experience Modern Art Through Reclaimed Wood

By Janine Hughes


For ages, people have been thrifty about reclaiming natural materials to make useful household items. The local environment dictated what kind of resources might be available. Tools and other objects were made out of stones, trees or shells. Once these things were skillfully constructed, creative individuals became inspired to add decorative touches. Preserving cultural history through pictures or signs was common, but often the focus was on keeping simple beauty. Artisans in Chicago, Illinois have claimed this global heritage and applied it to local woods salvaged from generations old buildings to make beautiful home decor and striking modern art.

Looking at the craftsmanship required to make these pieces helps the untrained eye to attain a different appreciation for trees. Seeing and touching the materiasl develops the appreciation for modern art through reclaimed wood. Seeing the defined lines inherent in a tree and its inner grain is what helps artists to use the flowing patterns to build new and beautifully designed pieces. Whether it be functional furniture or complicated, yet sophisticated wall installation pieces, there is always texture to be unwrapped and enjoyed.

A visit to a local studio or gallery can be eye opening. There is much that may be accomplished when using varied woods as a palette. The grain inherent in each slice is obvious, but the way it is used can be as different for each artist as there are kinds of trees. Artists in the local Chicago area offer an entire range of anything from exquisite furniture to fine art installation pieces.

These artists are adept at using texture, pattern and color to create exquisite works. With so many variations possible it is not surprising that their art invites human touch as well as visual appreciation. The works intrigue the mind and draw the eye to look at them.

Some craftsmen focus on developing mosaics using tiny chips and slivers. This time consuming pursuit results in appealing works that can be very large once completed. Rather than creating realistic art, the overall themes are texture, pattern and design. Skilled hands and eyes mass all the disparate pieces into collective units that are quite beautiful. Not traditional in the sense of ancient mosaics, but similar in that they are intriguing to explore close up and from far away.

Any geometric shape is possible, though at first one might think only of angular possibilities. When enough pieces are laid together, circular patterns evolve and even swirling lines take on a completely different look when compared to basic squares and triangles.

Harvesting materials that are basically cast off from other sites has become lucrative for those who are designing new things in Illinois. The piles of dust, slivers and splinters may have come from a Wisconsin farm or an Illinois property. What could have been a floor or a wall becomes a bed or lamp. Lumber that might have been discarded is being transformed into artistic statements.

Construction remnants are made into new artwork. Assembling anything that is repetitive will make an interesting wall covering or patterned walkway. It all depends on the hands of the craftsman.

Reclaiming the left over bits and pieces that had a previous life as another item is particularly satisfying to those who yearn to recycle. This artwork focus is one way to be mindful of local and global resources and the ways that using things again can protect the world environment. Modern artwork with new goals are resulting in the old and rejecting living anew.




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