Original Wood Assemblage - 'Sea Forest'

Laird Campbell is a Sunshine Coast–based artist. Working from his studio, he builds abstract compositions from reclaimed and found wood — selecting each piece for its grain, its age, the particular way it has been shaped by time and use. His process is intuitive and patient, guided by a belief that the wood itself has something to say, and that the artist’s job is to listen carefully enough to let it.

The sea forest is a world unto itself — the kelp beds and tidal zones of the BC coast, where the boundary between land and water dissolves into something stranger and more alive. 'Sea Forest' holds that quality of submersion: the warm red tones of the wood’s reverse visible through the composition, the layered geometry suggesting depth and movement, the whole thing feeling at once rooted and adrift. It is a work that carries the smell of salt air and the particular silence of the coast.

This original work is a Wood Assemblage: a hand-built composition of reclaimed wood pieces, displayed with a thin wood frame. Close-up photography reveals the extraordinary grain and texture of the wood; the reverse, with its warm red tones, is also displayed as part of the work.

Medium: Original Wood Assemblage (reclaimed and found wood)
Dimensions: 36.5 × 37.5 cm (14.5 × 15")
Framing: Thin wood frame; front and reverse both displayed
Exhibition: Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, 2024 On the Edge Exhibition; Cowichan Valley Arts Council, 2025 Group Exhibition
Authenticity: One-of-a-kind original; signed by the artist