Realism In Wood Art?

Every artist exist somewhere on the scale of realism vs stylized art. After defining what this is for the uninitiated I wish to look at how the world is changing especially for wood art. Typically realism is not something one would associate with woodworking unless it is life like carving. It is amazing to see what doors technology has opened for the average enthusiast.

With the advances in laser cutting and engraving we have reached a new era in what is possible. I am old school in that I still prefer blades and cutting and have always refrained from new concepts. Nevertheless what I enjoy and like in my work does not keep me from seeing the revolutionary change that are being made in this art form.

What Is Realism Compared To Stylized Art?

Realism is found when an artwork represents something from the physical world. The more closely the work represents the object in focus the more realistic it is. Sculptures and many paintings often come to mind which would represent this idea.

As art becomes more stylized you begin to loose realistic features. Native American cave drawings for example exist in between these two ideas yet lean more towards stylized. You can make out what they are communicating but it is not life like. When art become completely stylized it no longer represents anything from the real world. Often we have called work of this nature abstract.

The more realism that is found obviously the more skilled the artist must be. Yet the majority of artists within the world exist somewhere between these two ideas.

Each on the extreme can have their place in the world yet there is less of a market for pure stylized work. Another name for much art which exists in the stylized forms is called Figurative Art.

The world of graphics is where the strongest trends today are found within movies and video games. Here you find a blend of these two ideas meeting the needs of the many genres in production. This trend is strong and will continue for quite a long time to come. It is a good market for any artist to place focus on getting within.

Traditional Wood Art

In years gone by many simply called it fine woodworking or designated this skill to being a craft. Yet sculptures in wood have existed for as long as those of stone. Unfortunately us wood guys never seemed to garner the same level of popularity.

Woodworking having been closely associated with some level of carpentry hung in the shadows as a novelty. It existed in a more functional world where artistry skills were kept as a hobby. Technology began to shift the tide in this over time. Slowly wood is coming to be seen as its own art.

Traditional wood art was done by blade only with the use of minimal modern machinery. The skills began to fade into the sunset due to a lack of real demand. Art shows would often have someone with the skills to display the novelty. The biggest issue with the art was the price of a finished work. In fact this aspect still hangs over our heads today.

As cnc applications became more accessible to the average woodworker it offered a way to speed up production. While a more traditional artist will still use a lot of hand carving the machine application would make initial cuts roughing in the piece before it was finished.

Laser Technology Impact On Realistic Art

It was not until laser engraving came to us that the possibility of realism in wood art reached a new potential. No longer was wood tied to 3d sculpting in order to achieve this. Lasers allow for an image to be carved into the wood and also engraved yielding a 3d image on a 2d surface with real efficiency.

There are benefits to using this tech such as minimizing tool marks and it has a high degree of accuracy. In terms of engraving it also holds drawbacks. Often when an image is engraved on a 2d surface it may hold realism but it can also remove the beauty from the wood grain.

The more detail which is added to the work the less the grain impacts the work. Here we find ourselves back on this scale in art between realism vs stylized. Few mediums have a canvass which is by itself beautiful. In painting a canvass is a blank sheet, sculpting has a stone or mixed material. In wood art the wood which is used as a canvass can be in itself a beautiful work of nature.

Cnc Cutting Applications In Realism

Before laser technology was more accessible there were applications which allowed for cutting blades to produce realistic art images on wood. This was done often with a fine tip such as on a vbit. The program would then convert an image into the necessary gcode and fine cuts or material removal would allow for an image to be placed.

While this held initial potential there were issues with doing this. Of the different problems which could occur the greatest factor was time. It could take hours for a small image to be made depending on the level of detail which was placed on the wood surface.

Other issues which could plague the artist was the wood surface itself. The cuts would be so fine at times that any variation in the surface would not allow for the art to be carved properly. A shift by a few thousandths of an inch would make a cut too light, or too deep. At times the blade may miss the surface altogether.

Blade applications are better used in realism from a sculpting standpoint. Here they excel over lasers. The blades can remove more material with greater speed. This is due to the ability of changing tools for bigger or smaller blades as needed.

Finding Balance In Woodworking

Often the decision of how realistic or stylized to make a work will depend on what one is making. An object of function such as a box will have much less realism involved. These pieces are made and beauty is added more through the wood grain itself and a combination of different species.

Within my work I do add art elements with engraving and at times carving. Yet these elements are meant to be accents to an existing natural beauty which already exists in the grain. It is here that wood becomes unique in its spectrum between the worlds in this scale.

Many may find abstract art to be too ambiguous. Yet the abstract nature of a wood grain has always offered a beauty that is appreciated. Despite it being abstract there is still a pattern to it and the colors as it will transition from end to end.

The question becomes for any wood artist in how much impact does one wish to place upon this creation of nature. There is a natural and unique Harmony which exists within exotic wood grains.

For more highly detailed work many including myself will select wood which has fewer grain features and less beauty. In this way the work which is added will have more contrast and add beauty rather than take away from the wood.

When using letters or other features that require detail and recognition by the eye often plain grains are required. If there is too much contrast within the grain as colors shift the letters or detail can become lost or washed out. It would be like comparing a white or near black sheet of paper and writing on them then seeing which one is easier to read.

Much will depend on what one seeks to achieve. It can take a little practice in determining how much detail can or should be applied to more beautiful grains. Some of my wall art pieces are great examples of this where more intricate art is displayed in wood such as Ambrosia Maple. With the right contrast absolutely beautiful works can be created.

What Is Necessary For Realism In Wood Art?

To achieve realism in representation a work must be either applied in a 3d representation or a detailed 2d engraving. Most commonly a 3d rendering is often sculpted by blade. A 2d detailed rendering is often best done by laser as it transfers an image to the surface.

In between these two worlds is 2.5d where other designs can be used in a form of realism but allowing the beauty of the wood to show through the work. This is where I prefer to reside in my art as the wood grain in my opinion is a major part of wood art.

One needs some carving skills even if you use a cnc application of some kind. The more you can hand carve the better. Without getting into the argument of whether machined art qualifies as real art let me say a machine will only do so much.

While it can carve up to 99 percent of the work if desired there are problems which come as a result. Excessive tool marks can be among those problems along with breaks in the grain and rough surfaces. Many artists find it better to take it only so far and allow hand finishing to prevail.

Due to this having hand carving skills are important to the process. If you depend completely on the machine it will put you at a disadvantage. The maker community forgoes this carving aspect and their sole focus is on product development while calling it art.

To use hand skills in conjunction with machines such as a cnc does require planning. For beautiful work one needs to decide on what tool will be used to not only start but also finish. In between the different processes often carving must stop and finishing begin.

It may sound counter intuitive but in order to gain the contrast required in more beautiful grains often finishing is done in stages within the creation process rather than at the end.

Comparison To Other Arts

One can find a good example in concept by comparing Art Deco to Art Nouveau. The history behind each style and its period of time can offer insight to the culture of the period. In turn one can begin to see the longevity and marketability behind many arts.

Stylized art is challenging to market within many other arts. Painting or sculpted the difficult selling point is defining what the art is. The nature of the work itself does not perform a function and if it does not represent something of beauty you depend upon the design itself selling the work. It becomes a niche market that is challenging.

The more realism which is added into an art the more accessible to the market it becomes. The quality of many arts are judged and based upon how realistic it is. Artists are often held to those standards.

Within wood art this is not the case. Having been seen as a craft or skill set for so long it is viewed in a different light. Our canvass is allowed to be abstract by the very nature of its creation. What we add to is as an accent enhances it.

One of the key selling points in woodworking is the wood itself. The art aspect is something which has been evolving in time. Its marketability is broader than other stylized arts as it can also perform functions where other arts cannot.

My goal here is not to advocate that abstract artists should take up woodworking as a medium for their work. Rather it is very interesting at how perception of a medium and its traditional uses will impact how someones work is seen. In turn it will often determine how well it can be marketed and sold.

Although it is easily noted how throughout history all artist have faced these same questions. Transitions from the 1800s through the 20th mid century we have seen this over time. It may be perhaps wood art itself may come into its own being rather than traditional carpentry.

Wood has always been a unique medium which has ranged from general carpentry to very fine artistic work. Its spectrum can hold so many alternative means to an end that it is difficult to categorize them all. It is for this reason that I love woodworking as it offers so much for exploration and design as well as art.

There is no way to truly master it. Once one becomes proficient in one area there are ten others which open due to what one has learned. It is forever evolving in what one can do and you are only limited by the imagination.

Here is where the realism vs stylized meets another dynamic which alternative arts cannot match. Wood provides that element of function to aid it along the way.