Mike Sasaki Wood Forms

Motion and Relationship No.1
2018
Jelutong

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Parallel Forces No.4
Western Red Cedar

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Read concept notes on Being No.4, the most recently completed form.
Peruse the blog for other writings regarding inspiration for the forms, and for poetry which compliments the sculptural work as well.

Being No.4 - Wood Form - with concept notes Being No.4 - 2024 Meet the 4th piece from the "Being" series of forms. As the round mass provides the majority of the weight, the extended f...

Carving through the knots in:
The Mystery of Space No.1
2018
Yellow Cedar

The transition from edge to inner cavity, seen most clearly in image 3, accents the title's proposition.

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By placing this piece in a new setting in the studio I accidentally discovered a nice lighting arrangement from the window light. I then set up the lighting for this photo shoot based on that setting.

Eternal Movement No.1
2019
Yellow Cedar, Wax

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It's 8:00pm here in Surrey, BC, as the sunlight persists well into the evening. I'm using 180 grit sandpaper to refine the shape in yellow cedar before moving onto 220 grit to finish the surface. "Being" series.

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Some recent pieces in Western Red Cedar:

Permeable Existence No.7 - beeswax
The Return to Equilibrium No.5 - natural wood surface
Duality No.5 - beeswax
Involution No.3 - natural wood surface

The natural surface, smoothed and polished with fine grit sandpaper remains lighter in colour enhancing the contrast in the dark concavities.

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The Inseparability of the Whole No.2
2022

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Bipod No.10

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The Impenetrable Field No.1
2021
Yellow Cedar

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Being No. 2
2023
Yellow Cedar

Looking back at the description I wrote for this piece, I am reminded of the uncertainty I had at the beginning of the process. My heart was compelled to make the piece, yet my mind was not so sure. In retrospect, this feeling I had seems to reflect the unfamiliarity I had with the piece. Once the form was getting to the refined stages, the mind finally caught up with the heart's impulse. To me, this story serves as an example of the unreliability of the mind (which judges based on memory), and the pristine intelligence of the heart; illustrating yet again the truthfulness of the saying "follow your heart". See the piece in detail through the shop link below.

Abstract Wood Sculpture Being No.2 2023 Yellow Cedar Natural, Open, Subtle, Intricate, Smooth, Fine, Curving, Elegant, White, Fluid - Etsy Canada This Art Objects item by MikeSasakiWoodForms has 38 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Canada. Listed on 05 Jun, 2024

Developed on paper, Adjacent Courses No.1 was visualized in the round from the "transparent form" sketch where the form is drawn as if see-through so that the components in the back can be marked out. Still, the form could never be totally understood in its exact shape before it was itself established in the carving process. The drawing for Adjacent Forms No.1 appeared naturally as part of an evolution of form starting in 2017. Looking through past forms, one can certainly see this relationship of the forms to one another. Yellow cedar is a wonderful wood to carve and finishes to its distinctive creamy hue. The wood is particularly suited for hand tools, and the feel of the sharp blades cutting through the material is a joy in itself. The natural surface of the piece is finished smooth with fine sandpaper.

The title refers to the how the edges of the concave system undulate along different paths despite their ultimate unity in structure and form.

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Adaptibility and the Indestructible Nature of the Whole - 2019
Western Red Cedar

The smell of sweetgrass is in the air
As the warm sun gently heats
The forest clearing

MS

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Appearance of Being No.5
Western Red Cedar

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Parallel Forces No.7
Japanese sugi

-Sweet smelling wood
-A lot of sanding
-Theme: physical/visible/material & unmanifest/formless in inherent union and hence absolutely inseparable; ultimate wholeness of All.

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The development of graphite markings evolving towards the limited representation of a wood form on a flat planar surface.

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The fiery globe ascends
Over mountains
Touching all with
Warm fingers

Eyes adjusting
To bright glare
As summer pinks,
Aquamarine
And other saturations
Permeate our worlds

MS

It's now t-shirt weather with a cool breeze and supremely pleasant dehors in coastal BC and likely up and down the coast. One feels they could go anywhere, do anything. How can one choose where to go, what to do? Perhaps one should Just dance!☀️

I'm always considering the structural strength of the piece with regards to the grain orientation in the wood. This factor is one of manu which influence the form development. Learn more about the wood forms at mikesasaki.com

Some recent wood forms

Fine grit sandpaper is used to dry polish the surface and certain pieces have a beeswax coating. See more about the work at mikesasaki.com

This post is dedicated to whose session I attended yesterday at the Vancouver Convention Center.

The Vastness of Emptiness No.2 and No.1.

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A photoshoot one day last year

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Image 2 and 3 are raw photos with morning light.
The space is complete with the "keystone" piece on top. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Visit the revised site at mikesasaki.com and find the "wood forms process" on its own page! (link in wood forms page) Read the blog for poetry and writing on wood forms themes.

Appearance of Being No.4
2019
Port Orford Cedar

A poster from 2018; me in the middle of doing a large website revision and happy about my new bandana from ; another piece from c.2018 and 3 more recent pieces, the last of which is "Being", a wall piece. Check out over 40 available pieces in the shop at mikesasaki.com

- First wood form made in 2017
- Next finished piece will be No.262
- Carved using hand tools from Sweden, Japan, Czech Rep. & USA
- Developed on paper. Very challenging. Arriving at a form which speaks poetry is never taken for granted. Requires an inspired state which is highly dependent on a healthy mental and physical lifestyle. The right study material (Upanishads, Sankara, Krishnamurti,...) is extremely important. The mind must be crisp, peaceful and passionate to discover truths which are then translated/manifested/expressed into form. Truth is the vitality of a piece.

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Studio shelves this morning.
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Meet The Unity of Motion No.3 in Western Red Cedar, carved from a single block of wood. This freestanding form was developed on paper before carving. The open form is organic with a mixture of soft and hard curves making up its structure. There is a deep sense of unity as the constituent parts interconnect the form in its ultimate wholeness. The wood grain has much character and figure, perhaps knowing great hardship in its life. The decision to leave the wood surface natural, without wax came in the finishing stage of sanding, when the final colours and grain emerged in total clarity. The pale pinks, creams and beiges marble together, adorning the surface with a subtle charm, befitting of the humble form.

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With rectilinearity preserved, the piece harkens back to stone monuments of old. The variegated vertical wood grain imparts a sense of rhythm as it alternates across the surface. This contrasting surface figuration compliments the asymmetricality of the form with its thematic duality between separation on the one hand and ultimate unity on the other hand. From a topological or analytical standpoint, the form is pierced with one opening resulting in a geometrical ring or torus; however, aesthetically and perceptively, one tends to focus on the two parts either pulling apart or merging together. The weight and solidity of the piece also stands in contrast to the form which seemingly ignores the pull of gravity as the top part floats away toward the infinite sky.

Incipient Dyad No.2
Western Red Cedar
H 14.75"
mikesasakiwoodforms.etsy.com

Some recent work

The Essence of Reception No.1
Arch No.57
The United Ground No.1
Involution No.3

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View over 35 available pieces at mikesasakiwoodforms.etsy.com