"Climb" Sculpture - Art of Leadership

Some early shots here of a commission I'm working on for the Art of Leadership Foundation in Detroit. The sculpture is currently resting on its side while working on the metal rocks and climber. The sculpture is in what I call a "roughed in" stage. It's starting to take shape, but there is much to be done yet.

Each rock has a word underneath it and is represented in levels. The climber is progressing and climbing through these tiers....reaching and climbing through rocks in life that hold us back and make us stumble. Climbing further, the person is reaching for goals and standing on rocks that are firm and do not fall.

Rock Obstacles:

Peer Pressure

Abuse

Poverty

Temptation

Indifference

Foundation Rocks:

Family

Integrity

Love

Education

Faith

Rocks reached for:

Wisdom

Leadership

Success

Respect

The sculpture in the end will stand nearly 10 feet in height and 4 feet in width. It's made out of stainless steel and will rest on a 5'x5' cement pad. The back of the sculpture will have a stainless tube support which will be a tree with the foundations logo within.

Family Tree Sculpture

I recently made this family tree sculpture as a gift. If interested in purchasing one for your family, please visit the etsy website for further information. Thanks!

Copper Wall Sculpt

Where has the summer gone?! ArtPrize is quickly approaching in Grand Rapids in a few weeks, and fall is nearly on us. The year has flown by once again. I've been experimenting with some copper sculptures recently. This is one was made from scrap copper left over from some of the Phoenix copper birds I made this year. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the copper tubes are layered together with copper plate dropped in here and there. I have really enjoyed working with copper. I use a torch with brazing tip and 3/32 rod to stick the copper together. Once the two pieces of copper are nearly red hot the brazing rod just puddles into the joint. With a little more heat, you can direct the braze to go nearly anywhere you want. With a cold quench from water, the copper turns color depending on how hot it got. There is a mix of dark vibrant reds, to purple, to blackish copper hues. I've made this piece to go indoors and have to coat it with some lacquer yet to make it complete.

This piece measures about 30" in height x 20" in width x 3" in depth.