Driftwood Horses by Heather Jansch
18 09 2009The work of Heather Jansch started from her two passions: drawing and horses. She has a very interesting and diverse biography, many exhibitions, one book published (Heather Jansch’s Diary: A Year in the Life of…..
And some other animals
Well, this is unusual. That’s a big compliment for me: i find true originality quite rare, despite the torrents of poseurs. It’s so odd i can’t decide whether i like it or not.
It’s certainly at least a bucket of water in the face. Thanks lady.
very nice!
it looks like you ripped the skin off.
Incredible.. I love it
I am in awe. Just amazing.
absolutely beautiful!
Beautiful art. Leaves me a bit “spooky” feeling, as well. You see silhouettes of things you think are alive, but when you look closely, it is not.
Wow… that’s some beautiful artwork there
Love the pigs, I want one! Where did you get all the driftwood, I roam out beaches but never find nice bits like these! Thank you for the beautiful creations.
God, those are beautiful!
These are amazing. Where are they?
this stuff was interesting the first time I saw it just because she used a material I had never seen before, but now it’s starting to seem gimmicky. Like it’s the only thing she does and she’s just keeping at it because it gets her money.
Wow, i like horses and you have made good replicas of them, congratulations ans thanks for another piece of art.
I want one, how much it cost ?
this is amazing! what a work of art-kudos to Heather!
Wow, this is really amazing artwork!
Seriously, this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
I really like the bear, it looks very realistic and if I ran into that at night, I think I would freak out.
This is some real talent.
Awesome Sculptures, or are they Wood models? Anyway , beautiful to say the least. Glad I had a chance to see them
these are incredible~!!!
i’m so impressed, how lovely~!!!!!
awsome really great looking work ….my only question is how do i get one made and how much?
you are so good ! wonderful !
These are incredible! Beautiful…you’re an inspiration!!
Remarkable, If I wasnt falling asleep in the late a.m I’d elaborate.
Awesome!!!…. they look so realistic. That is definitely what I call artwork!
i think they are creepy. they remind me of the body works displays where real dead bodies are stripped of their skin in various poses and then preserved. i mean of course they are impressive but if i had one of these in my yard i don’t know if i could ever sleep.
I saw one of these at the museum in Pittsburgh. It was very cool.
These are truly wonderful. They look so easy somehow, yet impossible. I am awed by the art and the work that goes into these.
wow amazing work…fits great
looks like muscular tissue
They are the best pieces of original sculpture I have seen in an awfully long time. REAL ART.
Excellent work…just amazing.
omg! thats so cool!
These pictures take my breath away.
They have such a sense of wonder, spirtualness (ghostly appearance), and absolute beauty! Truely unique.
Wow! these are great. The drift wood is a perfect medium for the horses.
I really enjoyed this post. thanks.
Powerfuland poignant. I love driftwood and horses awe me; this artist has combined both.
Debra Butterfield has been doing this for over 30 years. Same materials. Same subject matter.
Not original. Straight rip offs of Deborah Butterfield.
Puts a whole new meaning to saw horse!
Please tell me you credit Deborah Butterfield at least somewhere for being an inspiration!
Incredible. I hope the ability to see them in the wood stays with you forever. You are blessed…thanks for sharing it.
What magic you create. Thank you for sharing it with me. It has lifted my soul.
wow building this gotta take a lot of time and effort.
and it’s absolutely beautiful.
nice, I like the bear especially.
Deborah Butterfield is certainly wonderful and original, but this has advanced well beyond her. The movement that is so enormously engaging in Jansch’s works is the very thing Butterfield said shouldn’t be attempted. That’s why these are better: incredibly more detailed and far more courageous of the sculptor.
Fantastic I really love the work
beautiful work, the most wonderful woodwork i’ve seen.
you have incredible hands, and an inspiring art.
These are absolutely beautiful sculptures, showing individuality in the different horses and foals. Because someone else works in a similar medium in no way takes away from the art and creativity of another. If you check out Heather Jansch’s website you will see that she grew up in England and lives and works there now. Her profile explains the long route she took to arrive at her amazong art form and, I think, authenticates it.
Deborah Butterfield, who also does somewhat similar work, it seems, lives and works in America. Both artists should be viewed and judged on their own merrits.
This is truly amazing!
just incredible. absolutely the most wonderful thing ive seen in a long time.
i need a herd for the back forty…these i wont have to feed
I am mesmerized by these sculptures. What an eye you have Heather for seeing the endless possibilities in a piece of wood. Others have done something similar, but you have taken it to another dimension.
Great! Imaginative idea
Those sculptures are absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing.
those are really impressive
Congrats!!! really nice work, they look pretty real in their tree way. Love it!
Beautiful designs. She is very prolific too! Her work looks as if she were inspired by the horse sculptures of artists Debra Butterfield from a couple of decades ago, though these are less symbolica nd more accessible and are more about being a horse lover and less about the concept, or so it seems. but right or not, these are marvelous and hope people become more aware of horses and their magnetic appeal. The other creatures too, very jolly with a personal sense of presence. I wish her well.
These are well crafted and very beutiful… but original? No…
Deborah Butterfield has been making similar work for nearly 30 years… she’s in every major museum collection I can think of. Her work is included in most freshman level contemporary art survey courses…
Wow. How incredibly intricate!
very interesting images i would love to see them
Absolutely wonderful, what talent, so very original.
These are incredible works of art. You have captured the essence and spirit of each animal – each appears to be alive. Keep creating…the world needs more great art! Pat
Love it!…
Just a silly question to everyone: How does she do it? I mean, she must chisel some wood right, or is it all as-found? :/
What great creativity and use of resources!!! Just stunning.
Absolutely beautiful. I love horses and as child read the book about the Chincoteague ponies. Seeing these horses in the water reminded me of that wonderful book I read as a child.
I saw an original at the SF airport…Wayyyy cool, what surprise!
These are just amazing! I have never seen anything like this. I would love a chance to see these in person.
Well, marinus, that’s an unusual comment. That’s a big compliment for me: i find true pretentiousness quite rare these days, despite the torrents of reasonable people. It’s so odd i can’t decide whether anyone actually talks this way or not.
It’s certainly at least a bucket of water in the face. Thanks buddy.
Wonderful and awe inspiring! I could tell right away that they are Arabian horses!
amazing and wonderfully beautiful, what a talent!
I came across your site and your art is beautiful! will come back and visit this site again…
Hi Girls,
This is great! I think your horses, pigs and bears are living! What a fantastic talent you’ve got! Congratulations!
Always admired the Horse and Pigs at the Eden Project.
I used to sculpt/make this sort if thing at Art College, out of bits of wood, bent wire or even old car parts, but never out of driftwood – they simply look beautiful.
Great work!
Amazing, and those last animals too. The bear looks so real
Wonder-filled sculptures. Truly a marvelous sense for
Wonderful sense of vitality. Also impressive photography. Great stuff! Thanks.
I love these- so beautiful! I especially love the ones on the beach… it just looks like it fits so perfectly. Thank-you!
very cool, how many driftwood horses has she made?!
I love the works of art that you have made with the driftwood. I can’t guess the hours of hard work that you have put into each horse. I’m amazed by the out come of the finished product. You are a true artist!
Wow, these are BEAUTIFUL!! Absolutely amazing. I think maybe the first photo is my fave, driftwood sculptures in the water seems like a nice fit:)
In a world where the elitist art snob phonies wax lyrical over a pile of trash on the floor, these are works of beauty.
“Truth is beauty, beauty truth…”
…and I’ll bet no forcibly extracted taxpayer dollars went into their making.
@jen R Oh, thank goodness someone else has read those books!
You know, driftwood works best for horses, and this is the reason why. Look back at all the myths surrounding the birth/creation of horses, and you’ll see that they were born of wind and wave and surf, with manes and tails of sea foam and eyes wild with life. It may not be true to evolutionary form…but oh, what better birth could there be?
WOW~ I’m exhausted just THINKING about the work put into these! Thanks for sharing them with us!
Absolutely beautiful!
Those are very cool I loved it
Simply awe-mazing! They all look so graceful and alive, which is kinda creepy, but I like ‘em!
Incredible pieces, the horses are so perfectly proportioned with there beautiful delicate feet holding them up so strongly. Must be amazing to search though all that driftwood to find the perfect piece for each part of the puzzle. I Love i your work. Where are you based and do you ever run workshops?
Best of Luck
Sheri
Are these for sale?
I have read all the comments here, and I have to disagree with the posts which say that Heather’s horses are ANYTHING like Butterfields. While Butterfield’s are nice, by comparison they are childish and immature. Heather has actually put thought and much time in making these look detailed, realistic, and alive…not Butterfield. Does it matter who did this first? Not so much. It is more about who does it best, as well as with her own eye, making them entirely different than Butterfield’s horses. Heather, I sincerely hope (from one artist to another) that you are receiving the full worth of these sculptures. If anything, the aesthetic value alone is mesmerizing. Thank you for sharing these photographs. I hope to see these amazing works of art in person one day soon.
Truelly amazing! We are a family of horse owners,and you have the composition of the body down perfect.Reflecting all the muscles.Great work..My daughter is a barrel racer and Rodeo Queen and she will be amazed as well…
wow love them they look so real
Thank you for adding much needed beauty to the world.
People are so quick to judge someone’s artwork. If you look throughout art history, artist have been inspired by other artist and have also mimicked their techniques. We should embrace someone’s talents. This artist does some amazing things and I would challenge anyone to try to accomplish this.
Such powerful Art you have created. Stunning. So beautiful. I’m in complete awe…
Thank you for sharing.WOW
Amazing. They capture the essence of “horse”
And for those who declare they are a “ripoff” of Deborah Butterfield, I suggest you Google Ms Butterworth’s work and take notes- from what I see, when she works in driftwood, she tends more toward an outline of the animal -more like a 3-D line drawing. When artists work similar materials on similar subjects there are bound to be similarities. These Jansch works trot circles around those of Ms. Butterworth. George Lucas (not THAT one)
Mesmerizing! is the word. Amazing . I love horses and this artist has captured the esscense. Thankyou for sharing the experience.
Just wondering what sort of joinery is employed? It has to be sound as it supports her weight! Great.
Your work is really beautiful. You make them seem as if they are real. You are very talented.
This talented lady truly take nothing and creates something out of it.
Beautiful
You are such an amazing gifted artist. This was so interesting and different.
Continue your amazing art.
This is such beautiful artwork and made out of natural wood and so lifelike I love it.
wowwwwww is so amaziing!!!!!!! keep on doing this !!
For those who see fit to slam Ms. Jansch for copying someone else’s work…have you ever heard the expression that imitation is the greatest form of flattery? It’s quite a compliment, in my opinion, that the idea came from someone else, inspired Ms. Jansch, and she took it to the extreme of her talent, which takes NOTHING away from Ms. Butterworth! Both ladies have awesome talent, in their own right, and should be thanked for sharing this incredible artwork with the rest of the world, and those of us who can only dream of having such extreme talent!!!!!!!!!!!
Is this for real? I mean, you haven’t just replaced an actual horse by drift wood on screen?
These horses look so much alive! Much more than any horse sculpture I have seen…
wow..amazingg..i wish u sold them they would be beautiful decoratives in my house!
Wow… cool…
Hey Alex: Artists have to live too. These are unique. I would buy one if I had a place to put it. She does do other work but it is clear she has a passion for horses and if that’s all she ever does it is still a gift to the rest of us who only wish they could do one artistic thing well.
That is true Art it blew me away never seen nothing like that befor i love you have the gift to create something so beautiful and unique. Love it
Beautiful horses, how do you select the wood?
You have captured the true spirit of the horse.
Keep them coming. They are a joy to behold!
What an eye for anatomy! I am most taken with the horses. The impression of fascia and musculature is wonderful, and I do believe there is some life of horses in that wood.
Where and how can your wonderful art be aquired ?
Wow! These look like Thestrals from Harry Potter haha
horses feet look so real!
Life-sized homages to one of nature’s most beautiful creatures! Fantastic!
Really nice pieces of art! My compliments!
Mark
Absolutely wonderful! I am an artist and write about horses. They are beautiful, and belong in a museum, but perhaps outdoors in their milieu is best. Thank you, Heather.
That said. You have a remarkable ability to show movement, which suggests life, and that’s totally Classical.
Saying that one artist copies another because they’re using the same medium to create their art is like saying Picasso and Chagall copied each other because they both did paintings of people in oils.
Love these. Put me in the camp of liking these more than Butterfield’s versions.
This is very beautiful. I am awe struck. Great work.
SPEC….TAC…ULAR !!!! A true JOY to behold!!
Thanks!!
OMG!!!!! these are truly amazing thank you for sharing. I too am a lover of horse’s.. truly awsome!! great work.
This really reminds me of the meaning of awesome! From a distance I’d almost expect them to whinny. In fact if you hid a tape recorder nearby on halloween you could probably trick someone into thinking they are horse ghosts on a dim evening…
These works of art are simply astonishing. Thank you for your inspired and innovative creativity!
While they’re nice, but I agree they’re a rip off. I also disagree that this artist’s work captures the ’soul’ or the spirit of the animal more than the original artist. This artist’s work is more detailed and literal; Butterfield’s work is more abstract, leaving the viewer to finish the work with their eyes and brain, rather than just giving us all the information upfront.
Saying that one artist copies another because they’re using the same medium to create their art is like saying Picasso and Chagall copied each other because they both did paintings of people in oils.
Love these. Put me in the camp of liking these more than Butterfield’s versions.
woww, these are beautiful. just amazing
How Heather Jansch first had the idea to make horses from driftwood, is described in this inspiring story: http://www.zenmoments.org/the-beginning/
You can find answers to lots of questions about Heather Jansch’s work here, on her website: http://www.heatherjansch.com/students-qa.php
I AM AMAZED BY THR ABALITY OF THE ARTIST TO SEE THE POSSIBILITES IN EACH PIECE OF WOOD SHE USES.mOST OF US WOULD SIMPLY SEE A PEICE OF WOOD! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
your hands who have built these incredible works of art, you are blessed.
Wow, wonderful wish I could do that but I appreciated your art.
These are incredible, almost surreal. I’m glad you showed the shots of you in the creation process are just as incredible. Just … wow.
very cool.. absolutely beautiful!!!
congratulations for your work you capture the perfect expresion of the animal in a wonderfull material like the wood.
Tese are amazing I really love th bear
Sorry, but these are definitely NOT original… You see these a lot in the NW, by several different “artists”.
Oh, my!!!
These are perfectly stunning and wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!
What a creative gift you have… and I’m so glad it’s been sharing with others this way.
If only I were rich…………………………… sigh
truly original art!!! i have loved and dabbled in driftwood ever since summer camp as a kid. what you have done deserves great merit.
hats of to ya! art is life.
Wow! Just wow!
Congratulation!
Very clever idea.
Absolutely wonderful!
Lilian
cooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllll
thats so amazing
i want one
wow! the forms are very realistic