N’s main passion is music. And when it comes to presents nothing makes him happier than unwrapping a tidy stack of CD-shaped objects. But sometimes I like to mix it up and give him something other than CDs.
I had seen Rhode Island artist CW Roelle‘s work on Tiny Showcase but missed out on getting a piece. But artistry and craftsmanship of what he does really stuck with me. And so I contacted him a few months ago to see if he would be interested in creating a piece for me to give to N for Christmas. I asked CW to make a wire drawing of a praying mantis, a critter which N had a fondness for as a child.
This is the finished piece:
I’m very pleased with how it turned out. The details captured in the bends and folds of the wire are amazing. I think the style really captures the alien strangeness of the mantis. It’s kind of hard to see from this picture, but the mantis is set back about half an inch from the frame and so there’s a nice depth to the piece. I wanted to make sure it was protected from dust and toddlers knocking about and so I had it framed in a shadow box.
You can see more pictures of CW’s work on his flickr page here. It includes listings of currently available work if you’re interested. I really like this one in particular. It’s called, “You Are Sleeping And There Are Dogs In The Park You Know.” I think it’s great.
I would like this guy to make me a picture of the entire cast of The Wire…in wire. Too high-concept?
oops, that was me. shocker.