Wood Symphony Gallery is pleased to present The Soul of the Wood, a solo exhibition featuring a spectacular collection of French artist Alain Mailland's work. The twenty-five pieces included in this exhibition are outstanding examples of Mailland's very distinctive style. 

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Alain Mailland was born on the Ivory Coast and moved with his family back to France when he was five years old. From age twenty to twenty-two, he studied at the National Art School of Cergy-Pontoise. Although he worked as a mason and carpenter in building construction, it was not until he was twenty-eight that he took his first course in woodturning. He began his own shop specializing in interior woodworking: stairs, cabinetry and verandas. During this time he continued to turn wood as an amateur. In the early 1990’s, Mailland slowly changed his focus from interior carpentry to turning and has since done nothing but lathe work.

 

Mailland soon developed his unique style and technique, particularly in hollowing. He developed special tools to turn wood flowers, and then used this technique to turn and carve pieces like sea or natural creatures. He uses also off-centering techniques as long as steam bending, texturing and sandblasting.

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"All my work is based on the beauty of wood. I mainly use precious roots and species from the South of France. 

There is a correspondence between all the species living on earth. You can find animal or mineral shapes in roots and vegetable forms, and in stone or bones. We humans are linked with all things growing on the earth. This is what I feel when I make my sculptures.  These creatures seem to be alive, because I first turn growing shapes, like flower shapes. I reproduce the expansion of a flower or all circular structures of the universe. The creation of these objects is the incarnation of a dream." ~ Alain Mailland 

 

​​​Click on each image to view details.​