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Bewildering Organic and Geometric Pencil Sculptures

Why use pencils to draw when you can carve them into sculptures? Artists Jessica Drenk and Lionel Bawden have each dabbled in the art of carving stacks of pencils to form interesting, abstract forms. They've both mastered their respective style of the craft.

Drenk, who is currently based in South Carolina constructs texture-rich structures that echo the rustic feel of nature. She utilizes the wood and graphite of each tiny tool to serve as the exterior of her driftwood-like pieces by shaving off the yellow lining. The unnatural mustard hue is often scraped off, though her collection known as Implements does include figures with the artificial tint peeking out from within like a golden yolk.

Alternatively, Bawden entirely transforms colored pencils into geometric forms while accentuating their multihued bodies. It's the artificial pigments rather than the organic lumber that is especially featured in the Australia-based sculptor's series titled Pattern Spill. The sculptures, like Drenk's work, display a variety of textures, though Bawden's pieces appear to be more smooth. Bawden's leveled surfaces are more concerned with color and design to a point where viewers are entranced by the patterns and may actually question whether they're really made of pencils.














Jessica Drenk website
Lionel Bawden website
via [Visual News]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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