WorkArt & Culture

Artist Pejac uses pressed wood as the canvas for his inky paintings of man versus nature

In his Redemption series, Spanish artist Pejac uses pressed wood as a pseudo-canvas. With only pencil and ink, he manages to hide some of the existing elements of the material as well as elevate others, creating an effective illusion of perspective within which he places unexpected imagery.

Written By:
Four panels of pressed wood showing Pejac's Redemption series, with ink and pencil drawings of birds and human figures emerging from the wood grain texture

As with all of Pejac's work, there's an underlying theme of addressing global environmental issues – in this case, highlighting the fragility of wood and our overuse of it. "The beauty of the pressed wood seems to hide the arrogance of man in its relation with nature," explains Pejac.

"These panels have some sort of aesthetic warmth but at the same time a sense of devastation, making it very contradictory, which directly refers to my way of understanding art. Expressing myself on thousands of small pieces of wood feels like 'tattooing' on the stripped skins of trees. Each drawing in this Redemption series is a tribute to nature. Any other subject would have been frivolous."

From miniature window drawings to elaborate replicas of classical masterpieces, you can discover more of the Barcelona-based artist's work at pejac.es.

All images courtesy of Pejac

Pressed wood panel with pencil and ink drawing by Pejac showing abstracted natural forms in his Redemption series addressing environmental themes
Pressed wood panel with ink and pencil marks creating tonal contrasts and hidden imagery within the material's existing texture and grain
A small insect sits on a sheet of pressed wood with pencil and ink marks creating depth and perspective across the material's surface
Pejac's ink drawing of a hunched gorilla amid pressed wood pieces, creating a dimensional effect against the natural wood grain texture
Pejac's pressed wood panel with ink and pencil drawings creating an illusion of depth and hidden human figures among the wood grain texture
A human figure rendered in ink and pencil emerges from a chaotic background of layered wood scraps and pressed wood fragments in varying shades of tan, grey and black
Pejac's ink and pencil drawing on pressed wood showing withered sunflowers and fallen logs in a barren landscape, part of his Redemption series
Pressed wood fragments with small ants drawn in ink across the surface as part of Pejac's Redemption series
A solitary figure stands amid towering wooden beams and debris rendered in ink and pencil on pressed wood, evoking themes of human impact on nature
A figure in dark silhouette stands with arms outstretched among layered, weathered wooden planks in Pejac's Redemption series
Pressed wood surface with ink and pencil drawing of a grasshopper among wooden splinters and fragments by Pejac
A hand points to a detailed ink drawing of a deer etched onto fragmented pieces of pressed wood arranged together
Pejac's ink drawing of a deer with antlers rendered on layered pieces of pressed wood with varying tones
Artist's hand drawing an intricate ink illustration of intertwined figures on pressed wood panel as part of the Redemption series
Hand pointing at a detail in Pejac's pressed wood artwork from his Redemption series, showing layered wood fragments with ink drawings creating depth and perspective
Hands examining sheets of pressed wood with ink drawings from Pejac's Redemption series laid out on a white surface
Share

Further Reading