Serendipity and the Sculptor

Bringing Wood to Life

Inspired by a passion for the conjuring of all things held deep in the imagination, Namibian-born artist and woodworker, Andries Visser, magically transforms solid wood into exquisite sculptures that exude fluidity and motion. His sublime workmanship and handcrafted originality is a natural self-honed gift, discovered later in his life after a serendipitous opportunity presented itself, making it impossible to ignore his passion and calling in life. This is his inspiring story.

A simple and honest life

As a young boy growing up in Namibia – a Southwest African country distinguished by its vast landscapes and natural beauty – Andries Visser and his older sister lived a simple, honest, and carefree life under the guidance of two very caring and present parents. Making the most of the beautiful space in the sparsely populated country, the family spent most weekends exploring the desserts and rugged coastlines, setting up camp at any particularly interesting geological feature they happened to encounter.

“My mom was a lady, and not one to be associated with a bunch of ruffians,” he recalls. “So, ‘setting up camp’ usually meant that a small, tented town with all the amenities sprung up like a Bedouin oasis in the middle of nowhere. Only then we were set free to roam, explore, play, or be bored in nature. And there is nothing to stimulate your imagination like being bored or playing without toys, and this crucially developed the skill of vivid visualisation that I find so invaluable in sculpting.”

It was not until the early ‘80s, when Namibia received its first broadcasting television, that Visser was exposed to a life beyond his bubble of experiences in the wild outdoors of Africa. “A popular television series at the time was L.A. Law,” he recalls. “It portrayed such an exciting, romantic, and prosperous picture of the profession that it left me with no choice – I was going to study law. My parents were supportive of this as they wanted a life of means and prosperity for me and, supported by my uncanny knack to debate myself out of chores and sticky situations, it seemed a logical choice.”

Climbing the corporate ladder

With no university in Namibia, Visser made his way across the border to neighbouring South Africa. There he began his journey in the law faculty as a student with big dreams to recreate the romance he had been inspired by back home on the box set. Like many curious young minds at the time, Visser began to question his choices of how he had planned to spend his life. He decided, quite radically, to completely turn his back on his corporate law career dream.

“This left me quite destitute and searching for a purpose,” he says. “For a time, I was searching aimlessly, not knowing what that ‘thing’ was I was supposed to do. During my time as a student, I had started doing rock climbing and I had become qualified as a rock climbing instructor, so, harping back to my adventurous childhood, I spent time working as an adventure guide while playing in a rock band.”

This rebellious shift was short-lived, however, and the life of a rock climbing musician (“albeit tremendous fun,” recalls Visser) was not conducive to his dreams of a prosperous life. “It was also at this time that I met my lovely wife-to-be and, knowing that I wanted a stable family environment, I ‘put away childish things’ and embarked on a corporate career.”

Fast forward 20 years and Visser had successfully climbed the corporate ladder only to discover that, while he enjoyed the substantial income, his work was all-consuming, leaving little time for him to spend at home with his wife and children. “I felt like a spectator watching my children grow up,” he recalls. “There was just so much on my plate and it all felt empty, always pulling me away from the things that mattered. When I asked my company, ‘How much do you want?’, all they ever said was, ‘More, more, more …’ The security of the golden handcuffs was starting to chafe.”

The awakening

Then came the catalyst – in the form of a terrible motorcycle accident. The accident that would change his life forever. “For three months I was stuck in a hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, and letting all the voices in my head have their say,” he remembers. “That little whisper of ‘purpose’ and ‘time flying by’ was growing louder and more adamant. I have always been creative and by now, I knew that this was probably my biggest strength and my strongest desire, but I did not know what that would look like. I loved working with wood. I had done several innovative and singular furniture pieces as a hobby over the years, and I was allowing myself a cheeky dream of making a living from furniture design.”

After returning to work and the world of law and corporate bondage, Visser was unable to quieten the whispers. An unforseen corporate restructure presented him with an opportunity to jump ship, and jump ship he did. “With the all-important support of my family, I decided to give it a go.”

Experimentation time

Finally giving water to his creative roots, Visser began to grow the artist within. He went straight back to an old relic from his home in Namibia, which gave him the inspirational push he was seeking. “I had a century-old glass Japanese fishing net float, about 40 cm in diameter, that washed up on the Namibian coast, and I always envisioned this

ball cupped in a big wooden hand, demonstrating our ownership and control over such a seemingly fragile and innocent yet terrifyingly destructive object,” he explains. “I knew the only way to realise this vision was to attempt it myself. Although I had never sculpted before, I decided to be brave. I could not find a piece of wood big enough, so I made a block from laminated wood and went at it with a grinder and reckless abandon. Nothing to lose, right?”

Voila!

“And there it was, in an instant it all made sense. I understood it immediately, I could visualise the hand and I just needed to take away the bits that were not part of it. It felt right, it was like an unnoticed tension was released within me and I felt an indescribable joy and fulfilment bubble to the surface.”

The result echoed the satisfaction and Visser was driven to attempt larger, more complex sculptures using wood he constructed himself from sustainable or reclaimed sources, turned into large sheets and laminated together. “Being environmentally conscious, this is particularly important to me,” he explains.

Life reinvented – the life of a sculptor and designer

“And thus, at the ripe age of 46 I stumbled upon my purpose, I was to be a sculptor and furniture designer. The road is not an easy one, the learning curve is steep, but the reward and the possibilities are endless. Because I get energy from what I do, instead of just giving energy to the ‘have-to-dos’, I have so much more to give my family, and life truly has acquired a flavour that I would never have known.

I am fascinated with the human form, the expression of emotion and capturing meaningful moments in time that evoke, communicate, and express. I want my work to have meaning and to express an opinion.

They all have a story; I do not sculpt for purely decorative purposes. Wood as a medium is singular in that it means that the original cannot be recreated, you can never have an exact copy made, not by myself or by technology.

I would encourage anyone and everyone to risk continuing the search for their purpose and their passion; it truly never is too late, and even if you do not make it your livelihood, it is an inexhaustible source of energy and joy. It is the way we were meant to live our lives.”

View Visser’s work at: www.visserdesign.net Art@Clocktower Gallery at the V&A Waterfront Art@Hermanus Gallery at the Courtyard International Sculpture Festival, Sculpture Garden in Franschhoek