What are artists but conjurers of illusion?
It is astonishing to think that some artists can turn a block of medium into realistic works of art. Just by staring at it, we can’t really seem to place where they start cutting and chiseling out just to arrive at a spectacular piece.
Marbles turn into full-body portraits and ice can transform into whimsical figures that are as delicate as they are fleeting. In Romania, an artist breathes life into rotting tree stumps just with help of God and a chainsaw.
Gabi Rizea is known for the woodwork that he has created through the years.
One of his works is made up rotting ash trunk. It could’ve been left alone to rot and gnawed on, but Rizea had other plans.
So how can one transform wood into a gushing stream of water? Rizea went to work and carved the tree stump.
In a series of posts on his Facebook page, one can see how the tree trunk became a pail of water washing down to the ground.
The details are exquisite.
Rizea skillfully molded the wood into a smooth and silky surface that mimics water coming forth from a container. The food grain also lent a subtle pattern of flow.
Then as the whole work descends to the bottom of the tree, it transforms back into what it once was. He did all of this with the use of chain saw and yet, he was able to provide finer details that made his sculptures alive.
Rizea shared that the process was not easy.
The wood was rotting and the insects were eating away the stump. This affected the integrity of his structure but he was not deterred. All he knew is he had to work well and fast.
“I don’t know, in my mind sometimes I have some images,” Rizea shared to My Modern Met. “When I work, it’s me, the log, and God.”
And if you think this piece is good, Rizea has tons of other pieces that exhibit the sheer talent the sculptor has.
He said that he only started sculpting in 2014.
Maybe there are just people who are innately talented because he fielded one work after the other in those years. In a short span of time, he demonstrated the finer details of the art and did it like it was his second nature.
If you check out some of his work, you’ll realize that his work, named “Apa”, is still a bit simpler. His work has taken him from different shapes like humans, animals, and even mythical beasts.
Some of his works are on display.
“Apa” was displayed in a children’s park before. Some of his other works include the fairytale character Puss in boots, renditions of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and even the insignia of House Stark in the hit TV series The Game of Thrones.
Currently, Rizea still continues to turn tree trunks into unbelievable pieces of art. You can check out his works in his Facebook account.
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