Where others see firewood, a club or, simply, dead trees, driftwood art sculptor Tony Fredriksson sees the adipose fin on a tigerfish, the gill plates of a bumphead parrotfish or the stream-lined flanks of a salmon. As featured in The Mission Issue 46 (May/Jun 2024).
WHO ARE YOU?
I am Tony Fredriksson, born in Zimbabwe, studied art in the UK and settled in South Africa in 1980. Driftwood sculptures have been my fulltime occupation since 2010. Since I was a child, I have been obsessed with catching everything that swims. My dad would drop us off at Matopos Dam in southern Zimbabwe to camp and fish for the entire school holidays. Camping and fishing became my life’s passion.


While living as a missionary in Boksburg, I made my first fly rod using a short fibreglass blank. Paperclips were used to make the eyes. Unfortunately, the carp in Whitfield Dam were not impressed. The ultimate respect for fly fishing only came in 2017 when I went to Alphonse Island, Seychelles.
During my lifetime I have had a taxidermy business with my brother, done fish illustrations for books and magazines, worked for a screen printer (printing fish on the side), established and ran a fishing club in the Lowveld and produced museum displays.
WHAT DO YOU SPECIALISE IN?
I used to specialise in limited edition sculptures of African wildlife, pets, skulls, and insects. An opportunity arose when a gallery owner saw a sculpture of a John Dory which I made from off-cuts of railway sleeper. I was invited to host my first solo exhibition with one condition… all the sculptures had to be of fish made in the same way as the John Dory. I had collected some driftwood which I wanted to convert into rustic décor and decided to produce a lionfish for the exhibition with those pieces. A hotel group purchased several fish from this exhibition for a private island in the Seychelles. This triggered a demand for driftwood sculptures from the fly fishers who were visiting the islands from all over the world. Social media and word-of-mouth meant further demand for a variety of subjects in driftwood, including birds, mammals, people, insects, and mechanical objects.
I have also been a photographer for a mission group travelling in Africa. This developed into another passion, photography of the different fish species as reference material for paintings and sculptures. I have been absolutely captivated by the beauty and colours of reef fish. I also enjoy the anatomy and versatility of fish in different habitats. To capture and hold the different species in real time has been a highlight. Examining my subjects first-hand, before I sculpt them, always benefits the final product. I am constantly enthralled by everything in God’s creation. My sculptures are a dim reflection of His handiwork.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE WOOD THAT YOU WORK WITH?
I am known for scouting the pavements of town, my friends’ gardens and firewood supplies, as well as wild places I find myself in. You will often see my vehicle parked in odd places. Much of the wood I use I have gathered on fishing adventures to rivers and dams. I have returned home with our boat laden with soaking wood to be dried in my hothouse. My favourite place for collecting special wood is on a private game farm in the north that we have access to. I often see a shape, texture, body part or something special in a piece of wood.
Back home I label these, designated for a specific sculpture, and start collecting pieces to add to it. Some of these collections have been in the making for many years, until one day I get a request for that specific subject and then start searching in earnest for any missing pieces.
WHAT SHOULD WE LOOK OUT FOR?
Because of constant commissions, my time is limited. But I do have a bucket list of things that I long to make. There are a few boxes full of vintage motorcycle pieces just waiting to come together.
For more of Tony’s work check out his website at openskywoodart.com.
This story first appared in The Mission Issue 46 (May/Jun 2024). You can read the whole thing for free, below, forever!
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