• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pacific Northwest Sculptors

Sculptors share knowledge and resources

  • Home
  • About
  • Galleries
  • Articles
  • Activities
    • Calendar
    • Exhibits
      • Creative Collaborations
      • Emergence
    • Ongoing Opportunities
  • Members
    • Directory
    • Member Posts
    • Member Services
    • Join
    • Login

woodcarving

Studying Sculpture in Japan at the Inami International Wooden Sculpture Camp

2019 Inami International Wooden Sculpture Camp Patrick Gracewood brochure

Japanese art has been a big influence on my aesthetic and choice of wood as my primary medium. This August, I will be attending the Inami International Wooden Sculpture Camp in Nanto City, Japan. It will be held at Zuisen-ji, the largest temple in the Hokuriku region, built-in 1390. The vicinity is the workplace of 200 woodcarvers, one of the world’s largest woodcarving centers.

Each invited sculptor is given a 6-foot log and 10 days to complete the artwork. The finished art becomes part of Nanto City’s Public Art Program. The theme of the carving camp is “To Bring the World Together through Wooden Sculpture.” It’s a mix of international sculptors and traditionally trained Japanese artists all working on the temple grounds. The public is welcome on-site to watch the progress. In fact, it is a great opportunity to witness the camp to celebrate both the long tradition of wooden sculpture and help advance this art into the 21st Century. 

Meeting the Broader Wooden Sculpture Community

The opportunity to meet sculptors from all over the world, and to have a focus on the wooden sculpture is a rare experience for everyone to learn new techniques and exchange ideas. It is a positive environment to understand at a deeper level this ancient art we practice. While the event is not a competition, carving a 6-foot log in ten days will be a personal challenge of planning, skill, and stamina. Japan in August is hot and humid.

On the registration form, they requested both an image and the meaning of the work I intended to make. I had an idea inspired by a famous poem by Matsuo Basho for very Japanese flavor artwork. Rereading the directions carefully, I found the stipulation that it reflects “your culture.” That made me pause: “What is my culture?” After a lot of thinking, I decided if they want my culture: Western, Christian, Catholic, I would carve “Listening to the Moon.” A young woman and the moon as an angel, an Annciation. First carved as a small detail of a large sculpture, this is the opportunity to enlarge it. All the finished carvings become part of the public art collection of Nanto City.

To learn more about Patrick’s work, Pacific Northwest Sculptors, or, contact us today!

Filed Under: Blog, Events, Sculptor Tagged With: Inami International Wooden Sculpture Camp, Japanese art, Nanto City’s Public Art Program, Patrick Gracewood, public art, sculptor, woodcarving, Wooden Sculpture Author: Patrick Gracewood

Primary Sidebar

Learn more about being a member of Pacific Northwest Sculptors.

Support PNWS

Who’s Doing What: March 2023

By Chas Martin

Member meetup and Studio tour March 29

By Bob Deasy

PNWS material and intangible

By Andy Kennedy

Coming to the Southeast Portland’s Goat Blocks in early summer

By Bob Deasy

The Rewards of Transition

By Chas Martin

Let’s Be Friends

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Contact Us

Pacific Northwest Sculptors
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #302
Portland, OR 97214
president@pnwsculptors.org

Affiliates

Tualatin Valley Creates
International Sculpture Center

Subscribe

Receive our monthly newsletter and event announcements.
  • Home
  • About
  • Board
  • Member Directory
  • Login
  • Contact
  • Join
  • Legal

© 2020–2023 Pacific Northwest Sculptors