About the artist:

Geert Vanderplancke was born and raised in Nieuwpoort, Belgium.  His passion for art began at an early age, while observing his father, a reputable sculptor, whose style he has always admired. This recreational activity blossomed into a passionate hobby and his interest in artistic interpretations and depictions grew.

Geert continued exploring different sculpture mediums and decided to turn his passion for art into a semi-profession in 2012. Since that day, there has been no looking back.

Being an admirer of Mother Nature and the North Sea, Geert loves spending time outdoors. "Sculpting is for me, the conquering of space without losing the spiritual contents of each volume of light.” His totem-like sculptures rise ingeniously like ghosts from the ground and evoke through the sculpting medium, vertical structure, and exotic motive, the “primitive art of Black Africa.” His sculptures are also inspired by outdoor ventures, normally during an evening or day walk around his neighboring dunes and beaches. Inspiration is drawn from his surroundings in everyday life. He often prepares sketches or studies on location with the intention of capturing forms and light. His sketches and studies combined with the help of reference photographs translate into sculptures. Creative, imaginative decisions are made with each stroke of the hammer as he transforms a block of wood or a piece of stone into a beautiful sculpture.

Geert has experimented with several mediums, such as wood, Belgian blue stone, plaster and bronze, however wood tends to be his most preferred medium and specially Azobé wood, with proud the most hard wood in the world. Despite his artistic training, he is not guided by current and that gives him the freedom and proficiency to express himself with wood and other mediums, as he sees fit. His work has evolved not through contemporary art, but through his own unique and personal experience.

His work has been on display around the world; notably at the Marziart Gallery in Hamburg, Germany, and at the Poznan academy in Poland.  Geert works out of a studio in his home in Oostduinkerke, Belgium.