Original Wood Assemblage - 'Shaman'

Laird Campbell works from his studio in the Cowichan Valley on the east coast of Vancouver Island, building abstract compositions from reclaimed and found wood. Campbell seeks, in his own words, “to conjure something retinal and cerebral to appear alongside the spiritual representation that is the art indigenous to this area.”

The shaman is a figure who moves between worlds — between the visible and the invisible, the living and the ancestral, the everyday and the sacred. 'Shaman' holds that quality of threshold: a small, square composition that feels larger than its dimensions suggest, dense with presence. The wood pieces fit together with a kind of ritual precision, as though each one has been placed with intention. This is a work that asks to be sat with, not just looked at.

This original work is a Wood Assemblage: a hand-built composition of reclaimed wood pieces, each selected for its grain, age, and surface quality. It was exhibited in Campbell’s 2015 solo exhibition at the Cowichan Performing Arts Theatre — an important early showing of his assemblage practice.

Medium: Original Wood Assemblage (reclaimed and found wood)
Dimensions: 7.25 × 7.25"
Exhibition: Cowichan Performing Arts Theatre, 2015 Solo Exhibition
Authenticity: One-of-a-kind original; signed by the artist