Ursula von Rydingsvard For Younger Children

Ursula von Rydingsvard is a sculptor who works in wood. Her father was a woodcutter. In her sculptures, she builds a large cube of wood by stacking and gluing wooden beams together. Using hand tools, von Rydingsvard then carves into the cube to create another shape. She uses natural materials like wood to recreate shapes and forms found in nature like mountains. Von Rydingsvard uses a simple form (square wooden beams) to create more complex forms (the triangle or pyramid) and then an even more complex arrangement (a row or range of pyramids). She enjoys working in an expressive style and believes viewers should have their own personal responses to works of art.