Philadelphia-based artist and craftsman James McNabb recently opened a new solo exhibition, called Metros, that expands upon his ongoing collection of stunning wooden cityscapes. The work is currently on display at the Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami and “explores sociological concepts regarding transformations of cities and urban landscapes, their beauty, uniqueness, and overdevelopment.”
Each geometric piece is an amazing explosion of architectural shapes that seem to burst from the surface. The circular, square, and asymmetrical arrangements capture the animated spirit of a city in unexpected formations. McNabb doesn't plan ahead before he starts a piece. He uses a bandsaw and his natural intuition to very quickly work through the project and carve the impressive city-inspired works completely out of scrap wood.
“I compare hyperrealistic painting to fine woodworking,” he explains. “Both are slow, tedious, detail-oriented processes that require great care and consideration through every stage of making. In contrast, I compare my style of rapid bandsaw mark-making to the fast paced nature of spray can art. It's my attempt at ‘urban woodworking.'”
James McNabb's website
via [Colossal], [Lustik]
