Arizona-based Tom Eckert would be better off calling himself an illusionist rather than a sculptor. The talented artist somehow manages to turn hard wood into realistic looking objects, from flowing fabrics, to books and fruits.

It’s almost impossible to believe Tom Eckert uses traditional techniques to carve his amazing artworks from wood, but that’s just what makes him so special. Since childhood, I have been curious about and amused by mistaken impressions of reality presented as part of my visual experiences,” Tom says. “One of my earliest recollections, on a car trip, was my perception of the wet, slick highway ahead that turned out to be an illusion, a mirage.  The revelation that I was fooled, visually and intellectually tricked, stuck with me.  This visual deception is now the basis for my creative direction.  “Cloth” carved of wood has much different structural qualities than real cloth. When this idea is applied to my compositions (floating book, floating cards, floating rock) a sense of the impossible happens – for me, magic.” Not just for him, I’m sure.

Tom Eckert carves his masterpieces from woods like basswood, linden and limewood because they carve and paint well and are stable, making great use of his background experience in painting and drawing to give every one of his works and incredibly realistic look. Flowing cloth is a recurring theme in Tom’s collection, and he admits as a child going to Church, he was always fascinated by the statues shrouded with purple cloth. He always felt covered forms are often more evocative, with the cloth giving them a sense of mystery missing from the uncovered object by itself. So he decided to incorporate this effect in his works, without actually using real cloth, but rather making it himself out of painted and laminated wood. My mind is officially blown…

Seeing Tom Eckert’s wooden illusions reminded me of Fraser Smith, another talented artist who uses wood and the tromp l’oeil painting technique to create realistic-looking clothing.

 Photos © Tom Eckert

via Twisted Sifter