Creating to reach out towards others, such is my purpose.

I love little objects, subtle curves, elegant overhangs, fine adjustments, especially when they reveal something. Throw in some fantasy, some poetry along with a pinch of mischief…

A self-taught artist, my passion for sculpture is quite recent. I work mostly with a sculptor’s chip carving knife, a gouge and a file; only hand tools, nothing electric. My favourite wood up to now has been cherrywood, though I do use other woods (linden, walnut and cherry).

I live close to the sea near Montpellier in the South of France; on my walks, I am lucky to come across a large variety of pebbles and stones of all shapes and colours. These pebbles inspire me, especially when they have been eroded.

Their shapes, aspects, their colours varied and sometimes so odd,-they all capture my imagination.

It’s a constant movement between them and me. I project what I imagine onto them to fashion something around them. They are my mediator, I cannot create without their help. And I go where they lead me, hence the diversity of themes.

The form is classic, as is the music I listen to as I work. It is always figurative, even though it often departs from true life. To hell with just proportions and perspectives impossible to apply in my case. What counts is to understand the subject, and more importantly, the harmony radiating from it.

Each blow of the chisel initiates a dialogue, the perfect accord between the hand and the spirit.

Welcome to the world in which stone and wood offer you something unique.

Welcome to my universe !

Daniel ANSAULT

Publications in April 2019 :

Emergence Magazine Quebec (EMQ)

Le Cercle des Libéraux