Sculptor Scott Carroll says his work is subtle, “not bang you over the head with an idea.”
Carroll, a Fayetteville resident, hopes his abstract pieces are more contemplative than that. The viewer should fill in a lot of the blanks, but the pieces represent things that are real to him, such as objects in nature, smoke rings or clouds, he says.
His exhibit, “Tectonics,” opened this week and will be on display at the Walton Arts Center through April 14.
The collection features more than 30 pieces, varying in size from 7- or 8-foot wall art and 6- or 7-foot free-standing sculptures to relatively tiny pieces that are 12 by 15 inches.
The wall pieces and freestanding pieces are all threedimensional, he adds.
“Tectonics,” the name of the show, can be used as a geology term and is the colliding and bringing together or separating of plates or masses, Carroll says. A lot of his work shows this type of joining and parting and can relate to nature, geology, people or relationships, he says.
“Nothing is static.
Everything is in flux always.”
He noted he and his family spend a lot of time outdoors, and nature has taught him many good lessons, such as appreciating something while it’s there because nature can change on a hourly basis.
“It’s the greatest art form forme,” he says.
Carroll says he ended up working in art by chanceand bad timing. He studied geology at the University of Texas, and after graduating,he found there was no work in the geology field in 1984. He moved to San Francisco and apprenticed under an artist, met his wife and lived in that area for a while.
“It was something that I’ve always had an interest in but never thought I really was going to pursue it as a living,” he says.
He says the greatest thing he learned was being able to feel confident in different materials and then decide how to manipulate them. He works in stone, wood, aluminum and bronze, fabricating in bronze instead of casting, he says.
“It’s more hands on, and it’s kind of like the way they make a handmade Jaguar or Ferrari,” he says.
He notes there is a lot of technique and engineering that goes into the sculptures.
One of the pieces called “Rings for Annie” is a one-inch thicksolid aluminum bar that has been handrolled on a 1920s machine that helps manipulate the rolling technique a little more. It looks very simple, but it is one of his more complex pieces in the way it’s put together, he says. There is no welding; it’s all blind drill and people can’t see how it is put together. He adds that it looks light and airy but is in fact very heavy and solid.
The rings piece is Carroll’s most recent sculpture work, and he has a few others in the exhibit that are part of the same series.
This will be his first show in Arkansas, where he has lived with his family for 11 years.
He has shown pieces in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Louisiana.
Carroll adds he is looking forward to the opportunity to show his work in his own hometown.
Whats Up, Pages 13 on 01/25/2013