Your Questions Answered

What about bugs in the wood?

The sculptures are frozen for 3 to 5 days at -25°C to kill any bugs or eggs  that may still be in the wood. Whenever I send an artwork overseas, it needs to be fumigated in order to get a customs certificate. If local clients want to have this extra precaution, it can be arrange at the clients expense. Most of the wood I collect is very old, dry and no longer of interest to the insects.

The termites vacate the driftwood as soon as it is dry to seek shelter underground. Further more I wire brush and sand any debris off the wood.

Treating the Driftwood?

Each piece of wood is sanded and glued, screwed and in some cases wired in place. All the screws are hidden and the completed sculpture is given a wash. This further protects and gives the final art piece a uniformed weathered finish. Sculptures are also treated with a matt sealer where necessary to penetrate and preserve the wood. The sculptures are not made for the outdoors. If this is required the sculpture can be built and treated to better withstand the elements but is not recommended. Kept indoors the sculptures can last indefinitely.

The oldest wooden furniture around is a Roman chair that is dated at 1900 years and some of the driftwood wood I find in the open is already over 100 years old.   Artwork is an investment, I have had one of my first Rhino sculptures resold three times with the price increasing by 500% in three years.

What started the driftwood sculpture?
One day I decided to make a fish sculpture from off-cuts of railway sleeper wood which was highly weathered. This sculpture was purchased by a Television presenter from a popular Conservation program. It was seen by an architect who asked me if I could make 10 similar sculptures for his gallery. I made a Lionfish from some driftwood I found and set it in a glass case. The sculpture sold before we could place it in the gallery. Everything sold in what was my first solo exhibition during 2010, that was the launch of the driftwood sculptures.

How you make your pieces?
I research my subject and collect many images from all angles. I then draw out the pose and start sorting through my wood collection looking for suitable body parts. Most of my work is commissioned, so I may be given the scale or size of the subject. If I start with a piece of wood that inspires me, I must find the pieces of wood that will be in that scale. The sculpture then takes on its own form and pose because of the pieces I find.

Is Driftwood difficult to work with and how do you join the pieces?
I use wood glue, screws in various sizes, very small nails, and wire for fine thin wood.
I then cover the screws with a wood filler to hide them. A big advantage is that your armature can also be exposed on the surface. Because the driftwood has endless shapes and textures, it becomes mind boggling when you see a variety of possibilities for each piece. The predicament is to decide how to use the material. There is limitless potential for each piece which could become something totally different. The fun part is the treasure hunt for those special pieces.

Where do you find the driftwood?
South Africa is a diverse country, not only do we have a wonderful coastline but different eco zones which all have a variety of different trees. I live inland, so started collecting the wood in dams and rivers and later found a special source on a game farm in the dry bushveld where they had cleared the trees from fence lines or where roads were made on the farm. The cut trees are quite old and well weathered by now. The termites and insects have also carved away at the dry wood which I then collect off the ground.

How do you treat the driftwood before using it (or after)?
The wood is stored in a drying tunnel from where I sort it for each sculpture. It is wire brushed before I assemble the pieces and then the completed sculpture is frozen which kills any insects or hidden eggs.

Can the artwork be sent anywhere in the world?
Yes, I send them all over the world. Tailer-made crates are constructed for each sculpture and personally packed by myself. They have been sent all over the world and each sculpture is fumigated to comply with customs requirements. We supply all necessary documents required. We can get a quote for you if you do not have a courier you use regularly.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
From Nature itself, the ingenuity of man, and fellow artists. The Bible says we were made in God’s image. If the God Who created you and me could make this amazing world and universe, we too have that creativity within us. I have seen this in children who use their imaginations for games, stories, and play. Sadly, we seem to lose some of this as we age. We should never stop playing and day dreaming, but continually cultivate our senses to find wonder in every day. I pray for help with each artwork to be able to capture just a small part of the beauty and wonder of God’s handywork in my sculpture.

What are the prices of your sculptures?
The price of a sculpture depends on the amount of detail / how long it takes to produce. The following information is needed to give an accurate quote:
– the subject
– the pose (e.g. for a bird: flying with wings open or perched)
– wall hanging or free standing
– the size sculpture required
– the country you live in / currency you use

You can email Dalene at tonyopensky@gmail.com with these specifics to request a quote.