Ah, the old pile of wood! Just about everybody’s got a stack of lumber in their garage from bygone home improvement projects or well-intentioned attempts at amateur carpentry. Any yet, where we may see the grim remnants of a half dozen trips to the hardware store, Lennert van Kampen sees Motorsports-inspired sculptures waiting to be shaped and sanded.
Netherlands-based Mr. van Kampen created his particular sculpture style by combining his love of racing with an artistic curiosity about what one might do with a solid piece of wood. While technically flat, from a distance his sculptures appear to be three-dimensional—an illusion conjured by the shadows and contour of his racing recreations. You might even mistake them for the real thing if it weren’t for the space between planks. You see, while a great many motorsports-inspired artists prefer to keep their depictions of iconic race cars factory finished, Lennart van Kampen goes against the grain with artwork that embraces its medium and highlights the worn and weathered look that wood can provide.
His collection of framed sculptures feature famous cars in a top-down view, like the Porsche 917K or the 1993 McLaren MP4/8. His other car sculptures are presented in three quarter or straight ahead views, giving the illusion that they might just drive off. And if you want to represent your favorite ride with just an emblem or logo, Lennart’s Garage has plenty of wooden versions of those as well.
