STEEL
MESH AND RIBBON SCULPTOR
Originally printed at JungKatz.com September 14, 2015 by Casey Webb
Tell us about
yourself, who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?
I’m a sculptor living
in Central Florida, Palm Coast. I experiment with different mediums as I create
organic concepts of Life Forms. I graduated in Fine Art from Cal State, Los Angeles
and went on to my Masters work at Otis Art Institute. I’ve been a dancer, a
freelance photographer, a TV producer for PBS, a hippie at Woodstock (the
original), and always, an artist.
How did you get
started doing what you do?
I think I’d like to
relate this question to what I do now. If what you’re looking for is how I got
started in art- well that’s just pretty generic. The work I do now in Steel
Mesh came out of something ordinary nearly 20 years ago, fixing a screen door.
I was doodling with an extra piece of screen and created a small figure. Up
until then I struggled with the way traditional sculpture was about reduction
or addition, what we see in bronze, wood, clay and other dense material.
Working with this new medium let me concentrate on manipulation. Because of the
open mesh, I am able to explore the underlying tension of muscles and movement
in relation to the implied mass of the figure. Shadows created by these
sculptures appear three dimensional, complementing the original structure of
the art. Viewed together, they are a dance of form and movement that has not
been seen in traditional carving or modeling. This concept also flowed into the
Steel Ribbon sculptures I’ve been creating. Using flat circles of 18 gauge
steel I hand form curves into organic figurative forms.
How would you describe
your style?
My style is about
manipulating and exploring figurative and organic forms. It’s about using
different material in unusual ways to create conversations with the viewer. I
try to stay away from right angles and move more toward what Matisse called
“arabesque”. I am always looking for solutions to the ideas of portraying form
and movement.
What’s your
inspiration?
My inspiration comes
from a number of places. I’m a people watcher, seeing how they react to
situations. I’m a listener, hearing what other artists are struggling with or
how they overcame an obstacle. And I’m a reader. One of my few disciplines is
to spend at least 2 hours reading blogs which lead to articles which lead to
investigations of artists I find on the internet. I have a napkin hanging on my
wall above my computer that says “Life is turning Coffee into Art”. The meaning
of that changes every morning with my first cup of coffee.
What is art to you?
Art for me is about
exploration and experimentation. Not just in creating but also in conversations
and relationships; when an artist, or actually anyone, drops by the studio they
know they are free to pick up pretty much anything laying around and create
something. There’s a bunch of us that meet regularly at a local restaurant, not
just visual artists, but photographers, crafters, and people not involved with
any of the usual arts. We talk about pretty much anything for hours at a time.
The take away is the mental stimulation that nourishes the creative process.
It’s not rocket science just good people yakking and creating good feelings.
What does your typical
day look like?
I get up when I’m done
sleeping. And until you’ve lived enough years and had life get in the way of
most of what you want to do, you can’t understand that statement. My studio is
attached to the house so it’s a short walk through the kitchen for coffee and
into the studio. I find that my day revolves around art. Some days mostly hands
on, and other days on the computer researching an artist I like or writing
articles or poetry. When I’m working in the studio, I tend to work on multiple
projects. Working with steel takes its toll so I may leave a piece and spend
time threading 6 inch bar ties with cable to get them ready for a new
sculpture. Sometimes I’ll be working out a design and it leads to a painting
series. Then my time is split between painting and sculpture, not an unhappy
situation.
How do you keep
motivated?
Motivation is tricky.
There are all kinds of clichés covering just about everything you can think of
to help you stay motivated. Then there is Chuck Close’s line: “Amateurs look
for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” I don’t personally
know any artist that is so busy selling that they don’t sometimes wonder why
they’re doing art. But if you ask them if they are going to stop they’ll tell
you, of course not! So it seems that if you’re talking to an artist the issue
of motivation is mute, there is always some new thing to do.
What do you hope to
accomplish with your work?
I want people to feel
they are looking at movement. Not a frozen moment in time but a landscape of
human feeling expressed in a pose whether it is figurative or abstract. These
are what I call Life Forms.
How have others
reacted to your work?
People that know me
have come to expect that I continually explore new materials. Yet they also
understand that the underlying theme has to do with an organic display of
forms. Luckily, my relationships with other artists are honest enough that my
friends are not afraid to tell me what they really think about a particular
series. I like feedback, and I’m not new at this so my skin is plenty thick.
What do you want
others to take away from your work?
I want people who see
my work to have a sense that they saw something that wasn’t familiar. That it
made them think and that it had enough substance that they would remember it or
even tell someone about it. As great as it seems to have all this art out on
the internet, standing in front of a piece is a totally different experience.
What, if anything,
would you tell your younger self?
I guess I would have
to say, “Don’t add up the mistakes!” I know my younger self wouldn’t have had
the attention span to listen to any more than that. He’d be too busy chasing
the next shiny object.
What’s the best advice
you’ve been given?
Do something! And
listen to the universe.
Any words of wisdom to
aspiring artists who want to pursue a similar career?
Don’t just think about
doing projects. If you have to work 50 hours a week part time so you can afford
to do art, do it.
What are your thoughts
on art school?
It’s always possible
to overcome any education. Don’t believe it’s the end-all to success!
What’s your dream
project?
I have the designs,
mostly in my head, for a series of large organic steel outdoor sculptures. I
would love to be able to put that project together.
How could the art
industry become better in your opinion?
I would like to see
the art industry realize that they should go out and look at art that is beyond
the borders of major cities. Many of us left those areas because of cost or
because they were just to mean to live in.
Any other artists that
you would like to recommend for others to check out as well?
There are many
sculptors and painters that are doing incredible work. David Rubello’s
work spans decades. He has been creating movable paintings/sculptures that are
amazing. Lawrence Philp out
of Brooklyn, and now in Florida, is another artist that has been active for
decades. He creates intimate painting reliefs that reach off the surface. Jan Geyer presents
figurative and experimental work that reflects her passion for dance.Arnold Mesches, an
internationally known artist, was one of my most important mentors in art
school.Harold Garde,
a NY abstract expressionist from the old school, has been an inspiration for me
as I develop as an artist. Harold is in his 90’s and still works in his studio
every day.
