This is the painfully beautiful functional art of Irish sculptor and master furniture designer, Joseph Walsh. Walsh is self taught, and I’m starting to realize that in many cases, self-designed education seems to result in art, that really escapes the traditional bounds of the art form. Walsh is a particularly good example of this theory, since many of his pieces seem to ignore the typical lines and especially the usual scale of pieces meant to serve as functional furniture.

“In the Enignum series of work, I have stripped wood into thin layers, manipulating and reconstructing them into free form compositions. I then shape through these layers to reveal not only the honesty of the structure but the sculpted form which is a unique collaboration of man and material.”

I thoroughly applaud Walsh’s use of wild dimensions and graceful, lyric lines. Don’t miss the short behind-the-scenes video below the photos. It was taken at the shoot of his most iconic piece, and I’m sure you’re going to be as blown away as I was.

All images property of Joseph Walsh Studio.