Wood Sculptures That look Like Anything But. The Work Of Ricky Swallow.

above: Come together. Below: detail of Come together



Australian 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.2



The Bricoleur:

Field Recording/Highland Park Hydra:

Everything is nothing:


The arrangement:


Private dancer:

Together is the new alone:

Younger than yesterday

Instrument:

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 Recordings

Published by Craftsman House, 2005
Edited by Ashley Crawford
Text by Justin Paton


The artist at work and with his "Killer mask":

above left photo by Brett Cody Rogers, above right photo by Diana Panuccio

Ricky now works and lives in Los Angeles and has several publications to his name and is represented by the following galleries:

Modern Art
23/25 Eastcastle Street
London W1W 8DF
T +44 (0)20 7299 7950
F +44 (0)20 7299 7951
www.modernart.net

Marc Foxx
6150 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
T +1 323 857 5571
F +1 323 857 5573
www.marcfoxx.com

Darren Knight Gallery
840 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo NSW 2017
Sydney, Australia
T +61 2 9699 5353
F +61 2 9699 5254
www.darrenknightgallery.com

Hamish McKay Gallery
1st Floor, 39 Ghuznee Street
Wellington New Zealand
T + 64 4 384 7140
F + 64 4 384 7142
www.hamishmckaygallery.com

Ricky 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