petit: inspirational carving

As i was strolling the internet for inspiration i stumbled onto these amazing puzzle balls. Originally they are carved out of solid ivory but modern day varieties are made of acrylic or other fake ivory materials.

They are so intricate; inside are seperate and freely moving layers, each within the other. Some have up to 18 layers. If you realize how much work goes into it, and the detailing... fascinating and incredible pieces of artistry and workmanship.

They obviously have no use, other then to impress and blow anyone away who sees them. I like that in an object, that it can knock you off your feet.

So did the next thing that i found. Carved pencils. Some Japanese artists carve pencils in such a way that the core stays intact.

For instance this beauty by Mizuta Tasogare

Most of the work on this site is by his hand. Here's another one with intricate shapes and forms like this complex chain.

But then it went on. I stumbled onto is this man, Dalton Ghetti, that carves pencils. Not the wood but the graphite that's inside...

Dalton Ghetti releases these amazing little miniatures out of the graphite of pencils. As a child in Brazil, Ghetti sharpened his pencils with a razor blade, which led to him experiment with carving into the wood of the pencils and then with other materials such as chalk, soap, and tree bark. Eventually, he discovered the ease with which graphite could be carved into because of its smooth texture.

“People look at my sculptures and then they look again, more closely, and they say, ‘Oh, there’s something in there.’ We’re a fast-paced society, and people don’t have time to stop and reflect–it’s all go, go, go. Hopefully these pieces make them stop and realize there is beauty in small things.”