For his City Series, Philadelphia-based artist James McNabb takes odds and ends of wood scrap and carves tiny, polished pieces that, when bundled together, resemble a starchitecture-studded city skyline. Each tiny structure in the series is individually "sketched" using a band saw, and no two pieces are the same, "a reference to the idea that cities are the land of endless opportunity," the artist says. It all represents "a woodworker's journey from the suburbs to the city and depicts the outsider's perspective," per the project description. McNabb's works often come together in unusual, non-linear forms; above, each mini skyscraper hangs like stalactites, creating what seems to be a table base. Below, another look.
According to My Modern Met, the series came about by accident; it was only after McNabb created some 250 geometric carvings that the artist decided he could make them into mini urban epicenters. What's more, he carved those original 250 pieces in 24 hours—about as impressive as the artist who sketched Manhattan in less than two minutes, though that guy had a lot of help from TV magic.
· Incredible Wood-Carved Cityscapes by James McNabb [My Modern Met]
· All Artistry posts [Curbed National]