Small Wonders
Four master sculptors prove that good things come in small packages with these carry-on-ready masterpieces.
JANEL JACOBSON
JANEL JACOBSON
SUNRISE, MN (60 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Years sculpting: 16 years with wood
Medium: Hardwoods
Why boxwood? “It can take on a great amount of detail and reveals many interesting coloring and textures. I focus on having the wood’s character and the carving come together.”
Inspiration: “I live in the country, with woods around me, so I get the opportunity to see tree frogs, insects, small mammals and other animals every day.” www.janeljacobson.com
JEFF OWEN
SAN JOSE, CA (36 miles from San Francisco)
Years sculpting: 12 years, self-taught
Medium: “Decycled” metal
Why weld found objects? “Metal has so many different shapes, textures and grains, and I love to find how different patterns reveal themselves and work their way in.”
Inspiration: “What happens a lot is I’ll stand in a metal yard, looking around until I see the items that become a sculpture in my mind. ”
Why small sculptures? “There’s a zen to it, when you keep it simple, don’t go overboard adding circles and other bits where they aren’t needed.” www.jeffowenartworks.com
CATHY BROSKI
KANSAS CITY, MO
Years sculpting: 22, beginning at the Kansas City Art Institute
Medium: Ceramic arts
Why clay? “I was always tactile as a child… always enjoyed manipulating something physical. It’s metamorphic, the way you start with this gooey consistency and, by firing it [in an oven], end up with something permanent.”
Why small sculptures? “So anyone, regardless of income, can walk away with something personal, one of a kind… to hold dear.”
The challenges and rewards of smaller scale work: “The narrative aspect of the piece is decreased, but you get to be more creative with how you represent things metaphorically and personify ideas.” broskiclay.com
RAY KATZ
PONTIAC, MI (35 miles from Detroit)
Years sculpting: 46, following two fine arts degrees
Medium: Fabricated, welded aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel
Why curvilinear metal? “Metal has so much potential; you can soften it like clay, bend it in its rigid form. Also, it has lasting quality to it. And I enjoy doing public pieces that express a physicality.”
The challenges and rewards of smaller scale work: “You can find the right environment for them, place them in the perfect scale, and the dialog that can exist between the space and the work is intimate and inspires reflection on the natural versus human-built world.” www.raykatzsculptor.com
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