Ron van der Ende‘s work begins in the streets of Rotterdam, where collects salvaged pieces of wood like doors and construction materials. This reclaimed wood he strips to create veneer with the paint layers still intact, then, using a mosaic technique, the Dutch artist assembles the small pieces of wood to create super-realistic bas-reliefs that are both painterly and sculptural.
His range of subjects is vast–rings, minerals, retro technology–but van der Ende’s favorite things to make are cars. “I wanted to build cars,” he says. “That seemed like a theme that was at the center of our culture, that speak to us on many levels. To our dreams and nightmares both. Cars evoke our individuality but at the same time they are the symbol of environmental catastrophe, of unsustainability.”
(via Colossal)