Julien Feller

“I was 11 years old when I decided to study woodworking,” says Julien Feller. “At the time, I didn’t know I would become a carver, I was only thinking about furniture.” It wasn’t until he was 17 that he discovered an affinity for woodcarving, and two years later he began studying what would become his future career. Despite his young age (he was born in 1994), Julien can already boast a long curriculum vitae, and an awe-inspiring signature style. He masters a woodcarving technique that allows him to transform a piece of wood into an extremely delicate, almost weightless, refined piece of art. "For me, sculpting is the ideal way of communicating my inner feeling to others,” he says.

Julian Feller’s skills in carving are not limited to wood. He trained to work with a variety of materials, such as clay, wax, bronze, resin and plaster, and also specialises in ornamental styles, patterns and techniques used through the centuries. This allows him to reproduce missing or damaged pieces during restoration work. He works with traditional tools, a time-consuming process that gives the best results. His creations are primarily inspired by those of the Renaissance, in terms of forms and techniques used.

Julien Feller’s professional career has been inspired and nourished by a number of encounters with master craftspeople and leading cultural intellects, providing him with unique perspectives, and furthering his skills and experience. These encounters included Belgian cabinetmaker Denis Bruyère, master gilder Marie-Reine Detroye, American conservator Alton Bowman and French cabinetmaker Yannick Chastang. Today, his creations are mostly influenced by Italian Renaissance art as well as the creations of Anglo-Dutch woodcarver Grinling Gibbons, especially in terms of his ornamental carving. Julien aspires to create works that could meet the standards of the great Italian masters of the Renaissance, such as Michelangelo.

Pattern of Crafts Exhibition