Bjarne Jespersen

Statement

Magic woodcarving is the art of carving a piece of wood into parts that are loose, but cannot be separated. Traditional examples are wooden chains and balls in cages, as seen in such items as Welsh love spoons and European wool winders. My book Woodcarving Magic explains the geometric methods I have used to introduce new levels of sophistication to the subject. My carvings this year are of a type I call "magic spheres". The "magic" becomes apparent when you manipulate the object and discover that its parts are in fact loose and able to move slightly among each other - a very surprising experience! You will not find anything like them in traditional carving, nor in my book, but hopefully in a second book focusing on this type of carving.

Artworks

This design grew out of an attempt to explain why my magic spheres do not fall apart. The title is a tribute to the painter René Magritte.