The Driftwood Menagerie

Discover the Animals by James Doran-Webb
Februar 20, 2026

James Doran-Webb’s sculpture occupies a distinctive place within contemporary practice, combining engineering precision with the unpredictable character of reclaimed natural materials. Raised in Devon within a family of artisans, his earliest experiences were spent assisting in the family antiques restoration business. The dismantling and repair of historic furniture introduced him to the internal logic of construction: how structures hold together, how materials age, and how form can be rebuilt from fragments. These early lessons in structure and endurance remain fundamental to his sculptural thinking.

Now based in Cebu in the Philippines, Doran-Webb has developed an internationally recognised body of work centred on animal subjects. His sculptures are constructed almost entirely from reclaimed molave wood, a dense and resilient hardwood gathered from riverbeds and coastal areas where it has lain exposed to sun, salt and sea for decades. Rather than concealing the marks left by time, the artist allows the weathered grain, fractures and textures of the timber to define the surface and expression of each work. The wood’s natural irregularities become integral to the anatomy of the animal itself.

  • Each sculpture begins with a concealed stainless-steel armature designed specifically to support the scale and movement of the finished work. These internal frameworks allow Doran-Webb to create ambitious compositions, from extended wingspans and elevated group formations to animals balanced on minimal points of contact. Around this structure, thousands of individual timber fragments are assembled piece by piece. Form is created through accumulation rather than modelling, with muscle and mass articulated through the alignment of grain and natural fracture.

    The construction process remains deliberately visible. Nothing is applied to disguise the method of assembly; the structural logic of the sculpture remains legible within the finished form. Yet this disciplined approach is balanced by a sense of individuality and humour within the animals themselves. Doran-Webb’s subjects range widely, from galloping horses and soaring eagles to the distinctive upright forms of meerkats, whose collective alertness lends itself to striking vertical compositions.

  • Among the recurring animals in his work is the fox. Its narrow stance, elongated limbs and poised posture provide an ideal subject through which to explore balance and proportion. Subtle adjustments of head angle and ear position introduce an alert, watchful character, while the structural challenge of a spherical base allows the animal to appear suspended at the edge of equilibrium.

    Ideas for each sculpture begin with careful observation. Doran-Webb develops drawings and anatomical studies before producing full-scale templates that guide the fabrication of the internal armature. Only once the structure is fully resolved does the assembly of timber begin, starting with the largest supporting pieces before progressing to smaller elements that follow the lines of muscle and bone. The process can require thousands of hours, yet the finished sculptures retain an impression of effortless movement.

  • "I go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that my sculptures will stand the test of time"

  • This exhibition marks Doran-Webb’s first one-man presentation in the United States, presented during Scottsdale Art Week. Across the sculptures on display, reclaimed molave wood is transformed into animals that appear both powerful and animated, their forms emerging from fragments shaped by decades of natural weathering. Through this process, Doran-Webb reveals a sculptural language in which structure, material and movement are inseparable — a practice that builds living form from the enduring traces of the natural world.