Layers of wood carved into intricate shapes create a series of captivatingly beautifully composed works. Oakland, California, artist Gabriel Schama skillfully uses a laser cutter to create a series of astonishing works. His works, ranging from silhouettes of human faces filled with psychedelic patterns, to religious motifs, to cutouts resembling reptile skin, demonstrate a wide range of expression. While the rise of laser cutters can be seen as a technological development in industry, Gabriel combines this technology with the time-honored art of woodcutting to create a fresh and original style.

In 2014, Gabriel raised approximately 5 million yen from backers to purchase a laser cutter on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Previously, Gabriel had released works entirely by hand, primarily cut out from paper, but after purchasing a machine with funds raised through Kickstarter, he began working in earnest. According to Gabriel, processing wood using laser cutting leaves a lot of room for research in terms of technique and structure.

He uses thin mahogany plywood as his material. He first creates the design and then cuts out each piece with a laser cutter. After that, he glues them together by hand. Gabriel's works, which have a nostalgic feel of woodcutting but also innovative, three-dimensional designs, have attracted the attention of many people and he receives a constant stream of orders. For this reason, his web store is only open for a limited time, but if you're lucky, you might be able to place an order, so we recommend regularly checking his official website and Instagram account.


*This article has been translated and written with permission from (Source: http://www.gabrielschama.com/, https://www.instagram.com/gabrielschama/).