Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work.

Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display.

"I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women in general, or what I long for, am afraid of, or have lost. Although they look sweet, sometimes I regard them as 'demons' that I try to free from my mind. At the same time I care for them and always try to make them independent of myself, and to give them their own 'voice' and individuality."

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