GSA Masters student Garrett Ure creates sculptures using reclaimed wood

Over the last few years, Garrett has been a regular in the Glasgow Wood timber yard to pick up various reclaimed wooden gems.

Having initially studied Sculpture and Environmental Art, he’s now a Studio Technician at the Glasgow School of Art.

During his degree, he used a wide range of our reclaimed wood including various components of oak whisky barrels, combining them with other recycled materials to craft highly unique sculptures.

GARRETTS CONCEPTS AND IDEAS

Garrett focusses his practice around restoring and reimagining reclaimed timber. The works themselves centre around the idea of repurposing these Vessels through sculptural manipulation, all of which being carried out within the ways in which the original objects would have been constructed.

Explaining how he transformed the reclaimed wood, Garrett says:

“The oak whiskey barrel sculpture is pieced together using handmade 12mm dowels, similarly to the way in which a Cooper would have crafted the original barrel lid together.

In addition, the walnut furniture sculpture bares evidence of traditional Mortice and Tenon joinery which has at one point, been sawn through in a bid to quickly disassemble the original piece. Therefore, I employed the use of a similar hand cut joinery technique in the assembly of the new remade sculptural object.”

WHAT’S NEXT GARRETT?

“In terms of the future of my practice, I plan to continue in my pursuit of recycled wood as a valid sculptural apparatus. I aim to blow up the scale of my works using more and more interesting sections of reclaimed timber of varying origins.

I love the concept of restoration within my works, whether that be the array of vintage woodworking tools which I reinstate for use or the very nature of the sculptures which I create. I opt to gather incomplete sections of an original object, therefore making the pieces I sculpt serve as half complete abstract references to the initial creations of which the wood was milled for.”

“In addition to wood, I hope to continue my use of all recycled materials such as leather, metal and industrial wasted acrylic as I can see the limitless possibilities in which these forgotten relics of their own past still have to offer both my artwork and the viewers themselves.”

To take a closer look at Garretts work and process, be sure to follow him on Instagram.

Looking for some unusual reclaimed wood?

Check out the timber page and see what reclaimed pieces we have available on our Gumtree profile.