16” x 17” Fangs of Fate

Wood Sculpture by Patrick Wayner

Reclaimed and natural hardwoods | 2025

“Fangs of Fate” embodies both the beauty and brutality of nature — a commanding bear’s head meticulously composed from hundreds of hand-cut wooden segments. Each piece is shaped, sanded, and layered to create a radiant mane of texture and motion, blending golden, amber, and deep brown tones from reclaimed and natural hardwoods.

At its core lies a powerful duality: beneath the bear’s snarling muzzle rests a carved skull, held within its fangs — a symbol of life’s fragile balance and the inevitability of mortality. This juxtaposition transforms the sculpture into an allegory of fate itself — strength and surrender, creation and decay, bound together in one striking form.

A centerpiece of Painted Patch Wood Studio’s collection, “Fangs of Fate” captures the essence of wild spirit and human reflection through fine craftsmanship and symbolic design.