Night Drummer

When the sun goes down and the village grows quiet, the drums begin.

The Night Drummer is a representation of the carved figure depicted in August Holland's painting Drums of the Night—an abstract wooden face that seems less like a person than an ancient presence, emerging from the darkness to keep time with the night.

His form is simple: a barrel-like head, seemingly carved from a single piece of wood. His eyes are open but relaxed, looking outward without giving anything away. His mouth forms a great, silent O, as though he is singing—not to an audience, but to the rhythm itself.

Swirling carvings trace his brow and cheeks, while small arrow-like marks descend from his chin. A simple crown rises from the top of his head, its diamond-shaped facets catching the light.

The sculpture is finished in a restrained gradient of green fading into yellow ochre, with a warm brown under-wash settling into the fine cracks and texture of the wood. From a distance, the colors are simple. Look closer, and the surface begins to reveal itself.

There is something patient about the Night Drummer.

He isn't performing for you. He isn't asking you to listen.

He has been here all along, keeping time while the world changes around him.

Perhaps the drums are a celebration. Perhaps they are a warning. Perhaps they are simply the sound of one night becoming another.

Whatever the reason, the Night Drummer keeps singing.

And the night keeps rhythm.

This is a piece of magnetic art. It was hand sculpted and cast in durable urethane with a high strength magnet. It is hand painted and may differ slightly from the image above.