Finding the Buried Shapes Within the Object: Jason Lyons’ Art

Jason Lyons’ art is a blend of the real and the surreal—the natural and the man-made. Consisting of reclaimed materials and objects, mostly made of wood or metal, Lyons’ sculptures take after organic forms found in nature. Amongst his creations is a fish constructed out of an old type-writer and a seahorse sculpted out of a violin.  

“Creations from man-made objects discarded as refuse and reinterpreted to form objects found in nature are the inspirations for my art,” writes Lyons on his website. “The simple spoon forms the body of a rainbow trout; a discarded children’s toy becomes the foundation for a moose; horseshoes transform into armadillos.”

According to Lyons, through his inherent passion for the discarded object, he has developed a unique perspective to visually dissect, reinterpret, and then repurpose the materials found in his sculptures. Ultimately, it is the organic nature of his materials that serves as the initial inspiration for his work, lending itself to the organic figures he goes on to create.

“I look for these shapes buried within objects,” Lyons explained in a piece he published on Artsy Shark. “I then utilize these shapes and reinterpret them into the anatomical structures that make up the organic sculptures I create.” We’ve come full circle.