Seanie Barron at No Place Gallery, Columbus, Ohio 

For decades, Seanie Barron has carved and shaped wood in a workshop at the rear of his house in Askeaton. His creations, made with simple handtools and an intuitive approach, are borne out of his understanding of nature and the environment around him. He roams around the countryside looking for the right branch in a tree or underneath a bush to then shape into a walking stick. These often take on surreal forms, such as seahorses, dancers, Hollywood films, soccer’s World Cup trophy, Greek myth and wasps, all of which seem to emerge organically and effortlessly from the wood.

After featuring in his first exhibition a decade ago in Askeaton, his work has since been seen in galleries and museums in London, Chicago, Dublin, Paris and Helsinki. He often tours around Ireland, enthralling audiences with stories related to his art and life. At a packed village hall on Inisbofin island on the Atlantic coast he once explained his philosophy on keeping active, claiming that ‘there are two things that can kill you in this life: the electric chair, and the armchair!’

A new collection of sticks and sculptures are presented at No Place Gallery, Columbus, Ohio from 16 October, organised in partnership with Good Weather Gallery, Chicago.