SCULPTURE SOUP

Sculpture Soup is a series of sculptures inspired by the English alphabet. To some degree its conception was a happy accident as a result of one specific sculpture that much time and consideration had been devoted to…….let me set the stage.

In my hometown of Warren, Maine there had been a woolen mill situated along the St. George River in the village of the town since the mid 1800's. This mill had been the major economic engine for Warren in its past and in my younger years here it was operating as a rope factory and was still quite significant in Warren's existence. As a youngster I had been employed at the Village Market stocking shelves and then working as cashier directly across Main Street from the mill. This was a great life experience that led to friendships with many of the mill workers, those from Warren as well as nearby communities. Main Street had a bridge over the St George River and under this bridge there were also many activities. In my years roaming under there you could expect lots of activity when the smelts were running, the alewives and nowadays during elver season. There was also the same routine under that bridge in Warren as other villages all over……..unsupervised teens and everything that could entail.

In the early years the mill had been water powered so a metal penstock had been installed in the river to screen the rivers water and direct its flow to the water wheel that was transmitting this hydro power to the pulleys and shafts to power the mills machinery. Based on recollection it may have been fifty feet long, somewhere around five feet high and maybe ten feet wide. When the tide was low you could access the inside of the penstock and for me, that experience NEVER got old. The remaining equipment that had long been disconnected always fascinated me, and each time in was a different experience, depending on who else was on the guest list! Anyway, there are so many memories and connections to that mill, penstock, bridge, river, including actually being employed by Crowe Rope immediately after graduating Maine Maritime Academy while I was searching out marine related employment.

In 2004, even before I had begun on a body of work as a sculptor, I was hard at work laying a foundation for this journey and a big part of that was to acquire raw material for a resource. During the demolition of the mill my wife returned form a morning walk claiming "I don't even know how to describe it, but, there is a huge pile of metal that just appeared on the side of the road at the mill and it looks like something you would want." Shortly after supper time there was roughly 4-5 ton of this beautifully textured metal. Big sheets of it riveted together. Wrinkled. Rolled. Scrunched. Stretched. Wow. This was a wonderful thing. I had a feel for the significance of the score in my gut.

Over time, and for many reasons, it became more and more apparent that this collection of metal represented a vast amount of local history. It was also evident that more and more strong sculpture was coming from the pile. I wanted to conceive a sculpture to pay tribute to the beauty of the metal and its history. After some time I found myself explaining this ambition to a visitor and as I was explaining the qualities and character of the metal I mentioned that it was build in the mid 1800's. Improvements in the steelmaking industry came a bit later for what is considered steelmaking and processes for this penstock produced a lesser grade material referred to as iron. This key factor now came into play as I considered options for a sculpture to help me tell the story that was becoming more evident. One day the notion of an iron "e" flashed in my head. This was priceless. The lower case would be easy on the eyes and the title would pay tribute to all of the ironies that could be pointed out in the sculpture, the raw material, its acquisition and who knows what else.

The response to Iron e was strong and over time I took on the challenge to create the entire alphabet along with creative input from the phonics of the pronunciation of the letter, the form of the letter in upper or lower case and often a pun worked in for good measure. It has been fun to pull this all together for the Sculpture Soup show and there is a lot of work to be done as this plays out. I will be updating this website and its contents for a while.

I will start introducing other sculptures soon. Still getting my ducks in a row, but, soon!!

Thanks in advance for your help in spreading the word. Let go do this!

Here is An Even Bigger Iron e crossing the road!  The first observation was over the rail and checking out the space where it served as a penstock.  Now……let's get heading to UMF for the show at Emery Community Arts Center!! — Here is *An Even Bigger Iron e* crossing the road! The first observation was over the rail and checking out the space where it served as a penstock. Now……let's get heading to UMF for the show at Emery Community Arts Center!!

It is Friday afternoon, August 5th. I am only minutes away from heading into town to attend the Art Walk in Rockland. We'll be crossing the street to let people know of the Sculpture Soup Show!!

So, the art walk was a blast. Lots of trips across Main Street, Rockland, and a couple of buddies had a go at it, too. As much fun as walking the spheres in the past. There was an added dimension of the e clunking as it rolls around each revolution. This is far from over…….

So, some are still wondering why the iron e crossed the road. I guess it is time to inform. The initial reason for crossing the road in Warren Village was to see the exact location where the source for his raw material originated. This was alongside the former Georges River Woolen Mill where the iron served as a penstock to screen the river water and direct it to the water wheel that powered the mill beginning in the mid 1800's. He will continue on his journey, in no particular route, to arrive at the Emery Community Arts Center on the campus of the University of Maine at Farmington! The show, titled Sculpture Soup, begins on August 29th with a lively opening reception on September 9th from 5-7pm. The iron e got a late start and is planning to catch up with J Walking!!

J Walking arrived quite a bit early because he just doesn't seem to give a shit about green or red lights…….

The iron e is making his way to Farmington, but, sometimes on the roads less traveled. Below is an image of a stop at a swimming hole on a hot and humid afternoon…..

And don't forget the ever-so-popular "fbomb" by JBONE!!

SCULPTURE SOUP

Sculpture Soup is a series of sculptures inspired by the English alphabet. To some degree its conception was a happy accident as a result of one specific sculpture that much time and consideration had been devoted to…….let me set the stage.