Like artist Christian Faur, artist Herb Williams uses crayons unconventionally to create art. Rather than draw with them, he uses them whole as a material for his sculptures.
Crayon Dog Sculptures
By doing this Williams turns the crayons from an instrument with which to draw into a tactile element that provides both color and shape to his pieces. In his “Call of Couture” collection, the artist has created a series of dogs whose familiar silhouettes are brandished with fun patterns and colors created by his placement of the crayons. Some of the dogs feature recognizable luxury brand patterns, colors and logos… hence the “couture’ aspect.
Look closely and you’ll notice that sometimes he uses the crayons with the pointed edge facing outwards and at others times, the flat ends of the crayons protrude.
Artist’s Statement:
“Crayons are a gateway drug. To most adults, the sight and smell of crayons produce specific memories of childhood. The twist in the road to nostalgia is the creation of a new object, from a medium in which it was not intended. This element of unexpected interaction and play had me at hello.
I am one of the only individual wholesalers of crayons in the world. Because I am in pursuit of larger ideas, the playful aspect of my medium is integral to the works of art I’m creating. I can subversively insert a concept that may bloom well after the initial recognition of the form as a familiar children’s implement. To create my work I need to produce sculpture on a grand scale (which takes thousands and thousands of crayons), so I order each color individually packed (3000 to a case) and cut the sticks down to the length I need. I then bond the paper—not the wax—to a form I have carved or cast, completely enveloping the form.
I am interested in identifying iconic objects that society perceives to fit one role and then reintroducing them in different subtexts. Intriguing questions arise when an object associated with childhood, such as a crayon, is used to address issues dealing with more adult matters, such as sexuality, religion, and social hierarchy. The sculptures are childlike in their curious approach to the object as icon, but beguiling and satisfying to me in the use of pure color as form. Larger room installations also add the element of playing to the olfactory sense, as the scent of the wax completely saturates the environment. My intent is to continue to seriously create art that looks at itself unseriously.”
all images courtesy of the artist.
Follow him on Instagram here.