By. Anuradha
Creativity comes in handy when you equally have the willingness and the unending dedication to achieve something. Spencer Byles is such a person who is much devoted to his work and who has inherited the most beautiful form of imagination. He spent one year in a forest nearby his home, La Colle Sur Loup and by using elements that he found in nature, he has created some sculptures which would take your breath away.
He has made his sculptures in such a way that they almost seem to be a part of nature. You can see these only through his photos or else you have to go deep into the woods looking for them. The best thing about these beautiful pieces of art is Spencer has used all decaying materials to create them. So, after some time these sculptures would also become a part of the forest that they are hidden in!
Image Credit & More Info: frenchforestsculptures.blogspot.com | Spencer Byles – Forest Sculptor
If you have a creative mind and the willingness to do something beautiful, then these artworks by Spencer will surely be an inspiration for you to try new things. Spencer has shown that by using materials that lay there just on the ground, you can create beautiful things and we invite you all to use your time productively and to do something beautiful!
Here is what Spencer told us about his creations:
“I had been making sculptures with found materials in forests at different times over 10 years. I felt I needed to concentrate on one large project and produce good quality photographs of each sculpture”
“I acquired permission to work in a wild forest above the village where I live. I spent three months preparing the project and located over 20 specific sites that had unique characteristics plus an abundance of materials with which to build my work”
“I set out with no particular plan and had no expectation how it might evolve. I responded in different ways to each location and worked on at least 20 sculptures at one time.
I worked spontaneously without any drawings or planned design”
“I prefer not to share my thoughts regards to what each sculpture represents to me. They don’t have names either. It’s up to the viewer regards what he or she might feel or see”
“I truly haven’t experienced any [difficulties]. It’s a dream. There are irritants like mosquitoes and the heat during July and August where I slow down. The winters are mild and I construct large canopy shelters in many places to shelter in from heavy rain. But this is all part of the experience”
“All five senses are heightened when you are in a forest for a long period. I bring nothing into the forest. Just a few hand tools”
Byles said that the greatest challenge was “working completely on my own every day for over a year. I am a very social person but within a short time I began to enjoy and value the long days alone in nature”
“In the forest in La Colle Sur Loup, I found many objects hidden, often only by a thin layer of soil sometimes. Bales of wire and old rope which had been buried there from flower growers and farmers who see the forest as a place to discard their rubbish”
“Glass, tiles, bottles even more unusual items as keys and giant hand made nails. All these found their way into some of the work. The materials that I did use I felt had their particular connection with the history of the place and the local village of La Colle Sur Loup”
“I don’t feel the work sits that comfortably within its surroundings until nature begins to reclaim it. It becomes less of a part of me and more a part of nature”
“I work in a ‘living’ environment that’s constantly changing. You are witness to both the growing and dying back of all the plants and trees. It’s slow but the more time you spend in nature the more you recognize this constant movement”
“Galleries would be a dead place for me. My galleries are living spaces that provide you with experiences of changing light, smells and sound. I hope to continue working in wild forests and places that are often left abandoned and or discarded”