- Portrait of a Swiss Sculptor
After training as a cabinetmaker, Marc Raymond attended the Swiss Woodcarving School in Brienz for three years. He specialized in sculpture and obtained his diploma in 1996. He then opened his own sculpting workshop in Saillon, Switzerland.
In the early years of his career, his work focussed on humans. He developed diversified representations, working mostly in wood, but also stone, concrete and bronze. Since 2005 he has been experimenting with a new technique, assembly, or construction with wood and plywood. He now dedicates himself to abstract art. Regular work on paper, ink and decoupage complements and inspires his sculptures. The unity of the whole, tension between the masses and asceticism are the artist’s main concerns.
Marc loves to travel. His last 11-month journey took him to China, which greatly influenced his work. Accompanying his wife Georgia, Marc lived and worked in Madrid for a year and a half before moving to Ottawa in the summer of 2006. He has carried out several public commissions and holds regular exhibits of his work. His last solo exhibition took place at the Ottawa School of Art Gallery.
The artist about himself and his art:
“I sculpt mainly in wood and plywood using an assembly technique. I am a builder. I like to cut, saw, assemble, compose and construct. I like working with my hands. I see my work as an attempt to express and discover an inner reality, an unknown world that is impossible to express in words. The coherence of the whole, the search for inner tension, and concentration in space are my core concerns. What can I do to turn these simple pieces of wood that I put together into something?
I also regularly work on paper, with ink or with monochrome decoupages. My two-dimensional work is closely linked to my sculpting, as it inspires and complements it. I move onto another activity when I hit an impasse.
I believe that my work reflects who I am, along with all my dreams, failures and memories. Sometimes I think that it is also a reflection of our society, in all its complexity, a reflection of connections and community. But most definitely, art forces me to confront myself, alone, and helps me to discover who I am, to grow and to discover another world.”
Visit Marc Raymond’s website at: www.marcraymond.ch
Contacts: contact@marcraymond.ch
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