Sébastien Pochan is a winemaker and self-taught artist-woodworker based in Healdsburg, California. Raised across France, Africa, and Tahiti, he brings to his sculptural work a sensibility shaped by that early exposure to diverse landscapes and material traditions.
Pochan’s engagement with wood began in his thirties, when he developed a fascination with furniture making and traditional joinery, drawing early inspiration from the work of George Nakashima and Shaker craftsmen. In the early months of the pandemic, he turned to abstract carving, and has since expanded his practice to incorporate lathe-turned elements into his sculptural forms. His work is informed by Constantin Brancusi, Barbara Hepworth, Martin Puryear, and JB Blunk, whose approaches to material, form, and abstraction continue to shape his own.
Pochan works primarily with salvaged wood sourced from the Healdsburg area — oak, walnut, madrone, and bay — allowing the inherent shape and character of each piece to guide the direction of the work. His sculptures have been exhibited at Gallery Lulo in Healdsburg, Carter & Co. in St. Helena, and Themes+Projects Gallery at the Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco, as well as at art fairs in Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco with K+Y Gallery.
