UK-based artist Celia Smith uses wire as a way to form her delicate-yet-energetic sculptures of birds. She gathers and twists the thin coils into wings, beaks, and flight patterns, crafting individual portraits of fowl as well as entire flocks. At first glance, their gestural, dynamic contours take on the appearance of a spontaneous pen sketch rather than a three-dimensional object.
Birds are Smith’s main inspiration, and the artist states that her work aims to capture their movement and character. She’s found that wire best achieves a sense of lightness and motion in a way that wouldn’t be possible with other materials. The type of wire she uses varies; you’ll see copper, steel, and even telephone strands woven and threaded throughout Smith’s sculptures. When you consider how unwieldy her chosen material can be, it’s incredible to see the tiny, hair-like details that make these works look effortless.
