# 8-Bit Animal Sculptures American Artist Shawn Smith Creates Real-Life Pixelated Artworks By Tia Clarke | Published 2013-03-17 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shawn-smith References: [designboom](http://www.designboom.com/art/pixelated-animal-sculptures-by-shawn-smith/) American artist Shawn Smith has created a visually striking series of real-life [pixelated sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arnardo-collection). The quirky pieces, which are [made entirely out of wood](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seed-stories), depict the beauties of nature in digitalized form. The colorful works feature a brightly colored fish, a bee, a lizard and a seahorse. The artworks are to be shown at the Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. From a distance, the sculptures look like they are a two-dimensional flat picture, yet up close you can see them in their full [three-dimensional beauty](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/illusion-box). The artist himself says on his site that his work "investigates the slippery intersection between the digital world and reality. When we see images of nature on TV or on a computer screen, we feel that we are seeing nature but we are really only seeing patterns of pixelated light." Photo Credits: [designboom](http://www.designboom.com/art/pixelated-animal-sculptures-by-shawn-smith/) ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.4/10 - Popularity: 40% | Activity: 25% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Real-life Pixelated Artworks:** Opportunity for artists to explore the intersection of digital and physical art forms. - **Wooden Sculptures:** Potential for artists and craftsmen to create unique and eye-catching sculptures using wood as the primary material. - **Digitalizing Nature:** Possibility to create digital representations of natural elements, blurring the line between reality and virtuality. ### Who This Affects Most - **Art:** Artists can incorporate digital and physical elements to create innovative and visually striking artworks. - **Crafts:** Craftsmen can explore wood as a material to create unique and intricate sculptures, merging traditional craftsmanship with modern artistry. - **Digital Media:** Digital media professionals can experiment with new ways of representing nature through pixelated art, creating immersive visual experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Almost-Extinct Animal Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fauna-series.md) - [Digital Archetype Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christian-rex-van-minnen-1.md) - [Geometric Wooden Art Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aleph-geddis.md) - [Eroded Cartoon-Themed Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crystalized-squirtle.md) - [Evolving Hybrid Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/human-one.md) - [Biology-Inspired Porcelain Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shiyuan-xu.md) - [Sculptural Wooden Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/out-of-the-blue-exhibition.md) - [Wooden Light-Hearted Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dream-sculpture.md) - [Wooden Identity Art Forms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hughmanity.md)