In the Autumn of 2024, I had the fantastic experience of travelling to Switzerland for a commission. The job was in a beautiful part of the country and our clients were fantastic hosts. We enjoyed the local scenery and cuisine at the weekends and were blessed with great weather throughout. It was one of my highlights of the year, but not just because of the location. The commission was a big job that I could really get my teeth into, and it touched on some of my early design interests. There were some interesting, unique elements too that I was excited to talk about in this blog. Keep reading to find out more about my unique Swiss Art Nouveau sculpture…
COMMISSIONING & DESIGNING A SWISS ART NOUVEAU SCULPTURE
Sometimes clients come with a very definite idea of what they want. Sometimes they ask me to make suggestions. And no matter who has the idea for a subject, it’s always a conversation about both the design elements and how best to utilise the wood so I can create something they will truly cherish. This is really SO important – after all, they have to see it every day!!!
In my initial conversation with these clients about their commission, the conversation quickly turned to a very specific style of art nouveau…
ART NOUVEAU & ME!
I discovered Art Nouveau at a young age when my grandad gifted me a book about architecture. I immediately found an affinity with its textures, patterns and artwork – something that’s lasted over the years. In particular, I liked the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and as an adult, I’ve loved seeing it up close in Glasgow. I’ve also long admired the flowing forms of Alphonse Mucha’s illustrations. However, neither of these was the inspiration behind my trio of Swiss art nouveau ladies!
Instead, my inspiration came from a style within art nouveau known as Style Sapin.
STYLE SAPIN
Style Sapin (Style of the Fir Tree) was developed by Charles L’Eplattenier who lived and worked in the same region as my clients. Its main features are stylized nature motifs, geometric patterns, and a focus on organic lines that often resemble the shape of a fir tree. Hence the name!
My clients and I had already agreed that three female forms would work well for the basis of the sculptures. As we talked, we felt as well as creating the whole piece in an Art Nouveau style, I could work some Style Sapin patterns into the dresses.
I was really excited to bring one of my favourite styles into the work, and I loved that there would be a historic/cultural connection tying this Art Nouveau sculpture to the area.
PLANNING YOUR CHAINSAW CARVING TRIP
Of course, there is a lot more than the sculpture’s design to work out when working on an on-site commission. In this case, it was further complicated by the commission being in Switzerland!
If you’re contemplating travelling internationally for a commission for the first time, you’ll need to look into visa requirements and consider whether you’ll source local tools or take your own. I’ve travelled before for work so none of this was new. It was tougher than we thought it would be though, so I definitely recommend starting early! And get translation help when you need it rather than relying on an app or good old Google!
Another tip from me would be to plan your travel carefully. If you can, build in some rest or recovery time before you start carving – an important health and safety factor. In this case, I wanted to use my own equipment, so this meant driving. Although we could have pushed through and taken turns and done it in one day, we split the drive into two days. This gave us a stop in France so we could rest and enjoy exploring a new area.
To save time when I arrived, I asked my client to employ a scaffolding company to erect a tower around the trees. It’s really important to have a solid platform to work from when using a chainsaw! I gave specific instructions on the platform heights so I knew it would be exactly what I needed. If you watched my videos documenting this commission you’ll have seen they’d added a protective cover. A nice bonus for sure!
THE PROCESS
When I carved the ladies, I elongated their form in keeping with Art Nouveau style. I still used the Golden Ratio though to keep the figures balanced, so even though they’re elongated to make use of the height of the trees, they are still well-proportioned.
It was important to reduce the risk of splitting across important sections. With that in mind, I made sure the faces were as close to the outer edge of the tree as possible, and the centre of the tree as close to the back of the figure as I could make it. This encourages any splitting to happen down the back of the figure and not down the face (read more about this HERE).
I always like to give characters a pensive look, and this sculpture was no different. For variation, I gave the central figure a very gentle smile – as if she has seen something that makes her happy.
TOOL TALK
I took my own tools over to Switzerland with me. Although this added to our travel time, I knew I was going with the exact things I needed and that it was all maintained and ready to go! I took my usual Stihl saws and used them for most of the piece. Their battery tech is ideal for a job like this!
I created the Style Sapin patterns using an R7 carving bar and Milwaukee grinders with small saburrtooth bits.
And that’s the process and planning behind my Swiss Art Nouveau ladies! I hope you enjoyed this insight into both the artistic and practical processes behind the sculpture. And that you like the sculpture too! Do you have a favourite character? Or a favourite pattern? Do drop a comment and let me know!
If you want to commission a bespoke art nouveau sculpture, fill out the form at www.treecarving.co.uk/contact and I’ll be in touch!