Nic Webb

Internationally renowned artist Nic Webb is based in East Sussex, on the UK’s southern coast. Deeply influenced by his surrounding landscape, his studio is situated within a historic 15th century tithe barn setting. His work sits at the forefront of British craft and has been widely exhibited across the UK, USA and Europe, including presentations at Galerie56, New York, and Homo Faber, Venice. His practice spans both sculpture and lighting, most notably his seminal collection of carved English oak pendants. Webb’s works are held in major private collections worldwide and have been shown at leading international fairs including Design Miami, PAD London, FOG Design + Art and TEFAF Maastricht.

Nic carves, scorches, burns, soaks and stains different species of fallen wood to create pieces that explore the natural drama of the material. He responds in a spontaneous, personal way to the individual character of each piece of wood, using intuitive processes to work in dialogue with the timber’s imperfections. He encourages cracks and splits to express themselves on the surface and contrasts areas of natural grain with highly polished smooth exteriors. The artist plays, too, with myriad shapes and forms — classical fluted vessels that swoop in graceful curves; mountainous rugged edges, or undulating dips and folds; and abrupt, angular pieces that openly reveal the artist’s sculpting hand.

To achieve his powerful works, Nic uses traditional tools, modern methods as well as experimental forms of carving; he explores the natural elements of ice, water and principally fire to shape his work in an unbound and organic manner. As fire journeys into wood, forms are revealed, briefly seen and quickly disappear. These vessels begin in primitive crudeness, move through varying states of function, and evolve or ‘devolve’ towards a delicate border between existence and absence. On the whole, the fire and the wood burn as they wish. As the piece concludes, he intervenes, shepherds and finally halts the progress of loss at the place before all remnants of the journey are gone.