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Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing
24 July 2025, 13:51
All images courtesy of Brett Stenson, shared with permission
Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing
July 24, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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When Portland-based artist Brett Stenson was studying illustration in college, he hung out with a few industrial designers with whom he pored over how things were made. “We spent a lot of late nights watching 3D modeling tutorials, geeking out over sculpted clay figures, and rewatching the Wētā Workshop DVD about building The Lord of the Rings sets,” he tells Colossal. Stenson was especially fascinated by the world of vinyl toys and wished he knew how to make his own, even though the learning curve felt steep.
The artist’s interests began to shift as he considered more approachable mediums to achieve what he wanted to make. “Even then, wood always felt like the material I connected with most,” he says. “I was drawn to antique and vintage objects—things that felt like they had been made by hand, with warmth and intention. Vinyl, as cool as it was, never quite resonated in the same way.”
In 2018, Stenson signed up for a workshop at Wildcraft, a studio school based in Portland, to learn how to make Norse carved-wood Christmas ornaments. “Suddenly, I could see the endless possibilities—if I could sketch it, I could carve it,” the artist says. “The tools, the process, even the idea of becoming one of those old guys who wanders around a woodworking store all day—it all felt deeply romantic and aligned with who I wanted to grow into.”
Stenson started with a simple knife and began whittling away at hunks of timber, only to find that he quickly needed to upgrade to better tools so that the process didn’t take forever. He also introduced clay modeling, composing animals, figures, and other objects in a more malleable material before committing to wood. Focused on whittling bears and other woodland creatures, which often carry freshly plucked fish or flowers, he emphasizes emotional perception through animals—the sweet slyness of a fox or a charming bear proud of its fresh catch.
“Lately, my obsession with carving bears has started to shift,” Stenson says. “I find myself more interested in exploring the human side of my work.” Since the recent loss of his dog, he’s been exploring a theme that, at least at first, seems unrelated, but outdated technology like retro televisions, satellites, old computers, and disused telecom gear play into what he describes as “a kind of futile attempt to communicate with him again.” He adds that he’s interested in how there “all these tools we built to connect with one another, and yet the afterlife remains out of reach.”
Stenson is also the Senior Art Director of Young Jerks, a branding and packaging design studio based in Brooklyn. See more work on his website and Instagram, and find screen prints for sale in his shop.
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Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses
23 July 2025, 19:43
Detail of “Walk On Water” (2025),
archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69. All images courtesy of Dellaposa, shared with permission
Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses
July 23, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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In a world constrained by rising sea levels and the climate anxiety that comes with a warming planet, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a life surrounded by the blue ocean. For Werner Bronkhorst, the overwhelming nature of this potential future inspires a collection of mixed-media works that find minuscule figures amid broad expanses.
Bronkhorst’s new body of work, Sail Away, on view at Dellaposa, visualizes solitary protagonists as they trudge to the beach or surf on a seemingly endless tide. Thick impasto strokes in varying shades of blue provide an abstract backdrop for each piece and minimize the already tiny characters. “I pour layers of gel, then wait for landscapes to emerge—mountains, waves, ice. Only then do I add the figures,” the artist shares.
“Mockney” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69
Given their rare communion with other humans, Bronkhorst’s subjects also seem to embody the dissociation and disconnection of a post-digital world. Like a blip when viewed from afar, the figures emerge from their gestural environments as if in low resolution, their distinctive features impossible to discern.
Raised in Pretoria, South Africa, Bronkhorst now lives and works in Australia. You can find more of his practice on Instagram.
“Sail Away” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395 gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69
Detail of “Sail Away” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395 gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69
Detail of “Mockney” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69
Detail of “Blue Water High” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69
“Blue Water High” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69
“Diamond Sea” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, signed by the artist, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69
“Walk On Water” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69
Detail of “Diamond Sea” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, signed by the artist, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69
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Five Latinx Artists Explore Materiality, Identity, and Belonging in ‘Los Encuentros’
23 July 2025, 14:58
Facade mural by Ozzie Juarez. Photos by Alex Marks. All images courtesy of Ballroom Marfa, shared with permission
Five Latinx Artists Explore Materiality, Identity, and Belonging in ‘Los Encuentros’
July 23, 2025
ArtSocial Issues
Kate Mothes
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Marfa sits at the crossroads of US-90 and US-67 in the expansive Chihuahua Desert of far West Texas. About 60 miles from Mexico, U.S. Border Patrol trucks are a common sight along the roads, in addition to an unmissable, otherworldly tethered surveillance blimp that hovers near the highway between the town center and one of its most iconic installations, Elmgreen & Dragset’s “Prada Marfa.”
As the current administration’s immigration policy has taken effect, the politics of identity and geography have again been thrust front and center—often violently. In this remote borderland, where the one-stoplight-town has been redefined by influential art world personalities for several decades in an idiosyncratic convergence of ideas and lifestyles, there is a unique opportunity to engage with themes of community, narrative, socio-economic realities, and a sense of place.
Justin Favela
Ballroom Marfa’s summer exhibition, Los Encuentros, gathers the work of Latinx artists Justin Favela, Ozzie Juarez, Antonio Lechuga, Narsiso Martinez, and Yvette Mayorga. The gallery describes an aim of the show, the title of which translates to “the meetings” or “the gatherings,” as “the representation of Latinx culture to confront the accessibility of art spaces, colonial art histories, the conditions of labor, and lived experience.”
Amid daily news reports of ICE raids around the nation, the work in Los Encuentros is a timely and provocative exploration of today’s societal complexities along with being a way of “responding to the experiences of the people and places they engage with and depict,” a statement says.
All the artists employ a wide range of materials and techniques, from Mayorga’s frosting-like, piped paint to Favela’s vibrant ruffled paper installations redolent of piñatas. Lechuga uses Mexican blankets, or cobijas, creating sewn textile collages that explore a wide range of experiences and perspectives amid the current political climate.
Martinez continues to create intimate, candid portraits of farm workers by using produce boxes, bags, and repurposed plastic as his substrates as a reminder of the often invisible labor that goes into putting food on Americans’ tables. And Juarez has completely transformed Ballroom’s facade in to a giant painting derived from ancient Mesoamerican motifs.
Narsiso Martinez
Los Encuentros is curated by Texas-based Maggie Adler, who expressed delight at being able to collaborate “with artists whose practices center on allowing a broad range of community members to see themselves represented in art spaces.”
The show continues through October 12. Find more on the gallery’s website. And during open hours, keep an eye out for Rachel Hayes’ colorful patchwork flag that flies out front.
Ozzie Juarez
Narsiso Martinez
Justin Favela
Antonio Lechuga
Detail of a work by Antonio Lechuga
Yvette Mayorga
Detail of a work by Yvette Mayorga
Antonio Lechuga
Detail of a work by Antonio Lechuga
Narsiso Martinez
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Family, Memory, and an Ancestral Craft Converge in Daniela García Hamilton’s Tender Paintings
22 July 2025, 21:21
“La sala (The Living Room)” (2025), hand embroidery and oil on canvas (triptych), 27 x 60 inches. Photos by @ofphotostudio Yubo Dong. All images courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, shared with permission
Family, Memory, and an Ancestral Craft Converge in Daniela García Hamilton’s Tender Paintings
July 22, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Through a mixed-media approach combining oil paint with the soft definition of embroidery fiber, Daniela García Hamilton explores intergenerational bonds in tender, narrative canvases. A first-generation American from a Mexican family, the artist metaphorically links loved ones via thread, incorporating symbols of both Mexican and American geography and imagery of relatives drawn from photographs.
“García Hamilton investigates legacies of tradition, the inevitability of assimilation, and the ways in which family histories replay themselves over time,” says a statement from Charlie James Gallery, which is currently presenting the artist’s solo exhibition, Amanecer / Atardecer (Sunrise / Sunset).
“Toyota” (2025), hand embroidery and oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
García Hamilton began incorporating embroidery into her work following the death of her grandfather, whose own experience with textiles and exuberance for storytelling deeply influenced the artist’s interest in the relationship between craft, lineage, and memory. Scenes range from memorable events like weddings to everyday moments in which people gather together at home or for a siesta in the back of a pickup truck.
Derived from photos in her family archive, García Hamilton’s figurative depictions are immanently relatable. Yet within the broader context of the U.S.’s socio-political climate, especially the current administration’s dubious approach to curbing immigration, there is an undeniable sense of precarity and protectiveness. We’re invited into nostalgic, tender, even vulnerable moments in which every individual’s personality radiates through what the gallery describes as an “inner glow,” emphasizing the significance of togetherness, resilience, and security.
Amanecer / Atardecer continues through August 2 in Los Angeles. Find more on the artist’s Instagram.
“El Temerario (The Daredevil)” (2024), hand embroidery and oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
Detail of “La sala (The Living Room)”
“High Noon” (2024), oil on canvas, 56 x 36 inches
“Sueña (Dream)” (2024), oil and Sharpie on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
“En el Jardín de mi abuelo (In My Grandfather’s Garden)” (2025), oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches
“Self-portrait as child with my Pa” (2024), colored ink on hot-pressed paper, 48 x 48 inches
“La boda de mi Tía Rosi (My Aunt Rosi’s Wedding)” (2025), hand embroidery on canvas, 30 x 36 inches
Detail of “La sala (The Living Room)”
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Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’
22 July 2025, 17:32
“Kamma Can: The Treasure Troll.” All images courtesy of Filoli, shared with permission
Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’
July 22, 2025
ArtNature
Grace Ebert
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As visitors wander through a mile-stretch of Filoli’s Natural Lands this summer, they’ll encounter a group of eager wooden characters ready to share their wisdom. Trolls: Save the Humans is a playful, yet urgent exhibition by Danish artist Thomas Dambo (previously), who’s known for creating enormous fairytale characters from reclaimed wood.
At Filoli, Dambo has installed six creatures, each with a distinct personality and agenda. There’s the innovative “Kamma Can,” a “treasure troll” that enjoys teaching people to turn their leftover wrappers and disposable containers into vibrant creations. “Ibbi Pip: The Birdhouse Troll” is similarly concerned with transforming the environment by installing avian homes, while “Sofus Lotufs: The Listening Troll” directs our attention to the forest floor and asks us to be mindful of the changes happening all around.
“Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
“I’m so happy my Trolls get to spend some time amongst the giant redwoods at Filoli,” Dambo says. “I spent a day hiking in the forest, and it is a magical place where I know my Trolls will feel at home.”
Staggering in stature and inviting in presence, the characters are activists at their core and passionate about teaching sustainability. Like much of the artist’s practice, this exhibition utilizes the charm and wonder of fairytales to convey critical messages about the climate crisis and human behavior.
Trolls continues through November 10 in Woodside, California. Follow Dambo’s passionate personalities on Instagram.
“Ronja Redeye: The Speaker Troll”
Detail of “Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
“Ibbi Pip: The Birdhouse Troll”
“Basse Buller: The Painting Troll”
“Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
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Anatomy and Ancient Sea Creatures Converge in Hiné Mizushima’s Felt Sculptures
22 July 2025, 13:24
Group of anatomical felt brooches. All images courtesy of Hiné Mizushima, shared with permission
Anatomy and Ancient Sea Creatures Converge in Hiné Mizushima’s Felt Sculptures
July 22, 2025
ArtCraftNature
Kate Mothes
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From the spiral shells of prehistoric ammonites to uncanny depictions of organs and fish, Hiné Mizushima has a knack for combining cuteness and humor with the unusual and unseen. The Vancouver-based artist (previously) continues to create vibrant dioramas and wall sculptures that toy with textiles, anatomy, and taxidermy.
Using felt, sequins, embroidery thread, and yarn, Mizushima builds colorful displays of coral, animals, and botanicals. A mounted moray eel, for example, mimics a natural history display, showing a cutaway of its belly revealing a—rather lively—baby eel.
“Squids”
Recently, the artist also sewed a series of brooches in the form of microscopic organisms like Daphnia and Paramecium and anatomical human organs. Nerves and blood vessels extend along the root and crown of a tooth, complete with a filled cavity.
Mizushima is currently preparing for a group show at Ranbu Gallery in Osaka this fall, plus another group exhibition at Beinart Gallery in Melbourne in early 2026. The artist looks forward to experimenting with some new craft techniques and focusing on her Etsy shop, where original pieces and prints are available for purchase. Explore more on her website, Instagram, and Behance.
Anatomical felt brooch
“Anatomical Moray Eel”
Detail of “Anatomical Moray Eel”
“Phantom Squid”
“Ammonite”
Anatomical felt brooch
“Turtleback Twin Beasts”
Anatomical felt brooch
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Anthony Dickenson’s ‘Mistake’ Transforms into a Unique Animation for a Rival Consoles Music Video
21 July 2025, 14:22
All images courtesy of Rival Consoles
Anthony Dickenson’s ‘Mistake’ Transforms into a Unique Animation for a Rival Consoles Music Video
July 21, 2025
AnimationArtFilmMusic
Kate Mothes
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For his latest single, “Soft Gradient Beckons,” British electronic musician Ryan Lee West, a.k.a. Rival Consoles, tapped multidisciplinary artist Anthony Dickenson to create a music video that plays with a sense of perception and reality—especially the distinction between analog and digital processes.
Dickenson employs a range of photography and film processes in his practice, focusing predominantly on nature and portraiture. For the “Soft Gradient Beckons” music video, he dove headlong into a nine-month experimental process, creating multiple, long paper scrolls with hand-painted frames in black ink. He then animated by documenting in a sequence akin to the way film is fed through a projector.
The video above features the complete music video, followed by a revealing making-of segment that delves into Dickenson’s labor-intensive process.
His installation “reflects the intricacies and dedication of the creative process,” the artist says in a statement. “The result is both a visual and emotional journey, seamlessly blending art and music into one cohesive experience.” Using cameras attached to a drone and a skateboard, he captures distinct details and patterns while also panning out to see the entire grouping arranged carefully on a warehouse floor.
The concept originated from what Dickenson calls a “mistake” that occurred when, a few years back, he was experimenting with making monoprints using ink rollers. He had a realization that little blemishes or so-called defects various textures from the roller actually lent themselves well to animation.
“Sometimes the mistakes are the bits that really reveal new techniques,” Dickenson says. “I love these little moments of imperfection. Otherwise, you know, you might as well just build in AI.” Find more on his website.
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Wang Mansheng Turns to Nature to Make His Own Paintbrushes from Organic Materials
17 July 2025, 19:11
All images courtesy of the artist and The Huntington
Wang Mansheng Turns to Nature to Make His Own Paintbrushes from Organic Materials
July 17, 2025
ArtCraftNature
Kate Mothes
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Have you ever sought out the best variety of paper, highest quality paints, or most-trusted brand of equipment only to find that a cheaper, more readily available version actually worked better? That’s something Chinese painter and calligrapher Wang Mansheng thinks about a lot. Making his own brushes from natural materials, the artist considers how organic imperfections are often ultimately more interesting than anything produced “perfectly” in a factory.
The artist’s solo exhibition at The Huntington, Without Us, envisions a world literally devoid of us, which he describes as a “pure land without humans, without pollution, without humans’ damage.” Comprising a series of 22 ink paintings on silk scrolls suspended from the ceiling, the body of work highlights the interconnectedness of all living things. Starting with the equipment he uses, nature remains central in his practice.
A short documentary produced by The Huntington delves into Wang’s process of creating his own brushes from scratch, utilizing stalks of grass and pieces of twine. “Manufactured things have a certain form,” the artist says. “Like a manufactured brush—they are all really fine. The factory is trying to make it as fine as they could. But when you use it, all the lines come out as smooth and beautiful. But sometimes, I think it’s too perfect.”
To bring out the character of old trees and dramatic cliffs in his paintings, Wang employs brushes that produce a rougher line or texture. In the film, he demonstrates how he transforms the soft, wide bristles of tall reeds into a tool suited to his needs. Through trial and error, he taught himself how to shape and use different sizes and densities to achieve a variety of effects. Overall, the texture mirrors age and exposure to the elements that shape how trees and rocks look over time.
Wang Mansheng: Without Us continues through August 5 in San Marino, California. Find more on the artist’s website. (via Kottke)
Installation view of Without Us at The Huntington
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Aurelia Butler

More stories

Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing

Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses

Family, Memory, and an Ancestral Craft Converge in Daniela García Hamilton’s Tender Paintings

Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’

Anatomy and Ancient Sea Creatures Converge in Hiné Mizushima’s Felt Sculptures

Anthony Dickenson’s ‘Mistake’ Transforms into a Unique Animation for a Rival Consoles Music Video

Wang Mansheng Turns to Nature to Make His Own Paintbrushes from Organic Materials

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