Diane Husson: Faux Bois Artist

Concrete is cold. Hard. Unforgiving. This we all know. But, in the right hands, it can also be beautiful.

Diane is a sculptor. She doesn't use traditional media like wood, clay or marble. She works with concrete. Most concrete work is architectural, modern. Bulky, flat, with minimalist lines and plenty of heft. Intricate? Hardly. Naturalistic? Not really. But Diane Husson turns conventional wisdom on its head. She makes concrete furniture...and they look an awful lot like trees.

“I want my furniture to look like it was created by nature, that the vines just grew into place - a frozen moment in time, and when you sit on one of my benches or furniture or have a cup of coffee at a table, I want you to feel like nature is embracing you.”

These are tabletops with tree rings, chairs that look like branches naturally intertwining together, and benches that, despite being made out of concrete, are amazingly comfortable.

It’s an art form.

“This is all Faux Bois, which means ‘False Wood.’ It’s a 150 year old art form that began in France.”

Diane is a leading artist for a very small but passionate revival for Faux Boix. Creating these pieces is an immense investment and an enormous task.

There's a lot of brute force at the beginning of the process. Sparks fly. Diane cuts and grinds metal, welds it into place, mixes concrete and then, finally, she can begin to "sculpt." The end product is both refined and somehow delicate.

Diane told us about the difficulty in researching the subject. All the old masters took their secrets to the grave, and anyone still alive is very protective of their methods. She had to re-invent the process, and many of the tools she uses. She generously invited us into her home and studio for us to document it – truly an honor.

For more, check out Diane's website at NewRelics.com