Ursula von Rydingsvard

I was struck by Ursula von Rydingsvard a while ago when I saw her on the Art 21 video series. Her forms are raw and organic and yet fluid and complex. She starts most of her works starts from 4” by 4” cedar boards like the one in the image below. It is as if she takes the cut lumber and turns it back into its natural form. And it’s inspiring to see an older woman tackle such massive projects. Unlike some artist like George Nakashima who may start from raw wood and try to maintain or respect its form she seems to reverse the process.


Art 21 is a wonderful series by pbs, well worth getting from netflix. You can find more information on Ursula and images of her work at their site:
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/vonrydingsvard/index.html