C
CULTURE
A Nomadic Sculptor Finds Home From toy guns to the Special Olympics, this week’s cover artist has covered a lot of ground By Isaac Biehl
Edwards creates a variety of sculpture styles.
photographer. His photography actually helped improve his eventual sculpture skills, as Edwards found it would be much cheaper to frame his own photos instead of paying someone else to do it. So, he purchased a welder and started to design his own frames. In 2009, Edwards had some friends on the board at the Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle, Wash., who were starting a new show called “Heaven and Earth” that needed more artists. Edwards created “El Sol,”—a big turning point in his career, he now says. It was the stepping stone that led to the creation of “Perseus I,” a wind-powered kinetic sculpture that also uses solar powered LEDs. Edwards says CoCA became a huge part of his life. He eventually became a board member for eight years, serving as both the vice president and president. “I feel really lucky that I have been able to do what I do,” says Edwards, “because it really kind of happened overnight.”
These days, photography plays a big role in Edwards’ sculpture designs. When building his pieces, Edwards thinks a lot about the way the light will hit different parts. Light highlights different gradations in the art, and the steel allows him to visually “defy gravity” in a way. His works can be giant interactive pieces (“Perseus I” stands over 22 feet high) or smaller accent pieces like “Moon Rock” or “Valence II.” Edwards primarily uses steel and glass, but he isn’t afraid to get a little outside of the box. For the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival in 2014, Edwards actually constructed a steel bed with interactive video and LEDs. “I might be working on four pieces in one day,” Edwards says of his process. “You’ll see something in one piece and be like, ‘this would be cool if we did that,’ and then like ‘but that doesn’t really work there,’ but I like that idea, so I’m going to take that idea – it’s kind of like they’re birthing each other.” This flow of ideas can be a blessing
ARTWATCH
Artist’s Reception
Thur., Feb. 21, 5-7pm Umpqua Bank 390 SW Century Dr. #100, Bend
Seattle Art in Public Spaces Presentation with University of Washington Press Fri., March 8, 6pm Roundabout Books 900 NW Mt. Washington Dr., Bend
By Teafly Peterson
Biennial Artist Book Exhibition: Construction / Deconstruction A group show, currently on display at Bend Art Center, features an eclectic mix of work from a variety of artists who each interprets the idea of “books” in a unique way—including a variety of sculptural forms that step outside the traditional format. The show is made up of pen and ink illustrations from printed books, handmade books—including sculptural books that showcase a variety of forms—and even some more abstract ideas relayed in three-dimensional sculpture. The books themselves
and a curse. Sculptures need a certain space to be created and maintained, which can often be hard to come by. With rent, time constraints and just general life, this can make for a pretty stressful environment. “My whole sculpture career has been at borrowed shops. I’ve been this nomadic sculptor,” Edwards recalls. “A tremendous amount of my life has been infrastructure right now. The building of my business and clients here, and art of whimsy, that stuff is all – it’s this carrot I keep dangling in front of myself.” Since moving to Bend in January 2018, Edwards is feeling that carrot get closer and closer; his new life starting to grow. Following the creation of the Cauldron for the 2018 Special Olympics, a piece he titled “Hope Rising,” Edwards is excited to be showcasing it at this year’s Oregon WinterFest. It’s almost like his grand introduction into the community. Meantime, he has a shop in progress, designed specifically for his artistic needs. Safe to say he’s come a long way from PVC pipe.
the gloves and turn the pages. If you’re inspired by the unique folding patterns and designs some artists take on, check out the upcoming two-day workshop with visiting artist, Ann Kresge. She teaches a variety of techniques of the “concertina” structure—a way of folding and attaching elements to create imaginative, 3D sculptural books. Biennial Artist Book Exhibition : Construction / Deconstruction Art by Ana Aguirre on display at The Bend Art Center.
are a delight of handmade creations. When you open them and look inside, they reveal poetry, paintings, stories and even pop-up moments. This show is a sweet exploratory process. Be sure to make time to put on
Through Sun., Feb. 24 Bend Art Center 550 SW Industrial Way #180, Bend Free
Playing the Concertina : Four Book Structures
Class with Ann Kresge Sat., March 9 & Sun., March 10 Bend Art Center 550 SW Industrial Way #180, Bend $170 ($136 A6 Member), $15 Supply Fee
Paul Alan Bennett: Night Skies
Paul Alan Bennett has been painting the skies of Central Oregon for over 25 years. And who can blame him? They’re quite the inspiration. Recently, Bennett successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign to turn 44 of those images into a book. Bennett’s images are now on display at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. Up through the end of February, view Bennett’s lyrical images of the skies over canyons and rivers and roadways—each revealing the inherent magic and mythology of the local landscape. Constellations : Paul Alan Bennett
Through Thur., Feb. 28 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon 61980 Skyline Ranch Rd, Bend Free
23 VOLUME 23 ISSUE 07 / FEBRUARY 14, 2019 / THE SOURCE WEEKLY
M
iguel Edwards made his first sculpture when he was around 5 years old. It wasn’t made from metal, or at the same scale he works with today, but it was definitely a big moment for Edwards’ artistic beginnings. His family had just moved to El Rito, N.M., working on building an adobe home and shop to fit their lifestyle. Deciding to let his son loose, Edwards’ father gave him a hacksaw and let him check out some of the plumbing materials, which led to the birth of a PVC pipe masterpiece. You can’t technically be born an artist, but if you could, Edwards—whose work, “Hope Rising,” graces this week’s cover—is probably the closest you can get. Both of his parents, as well as various relatives, dabble in a variety of mediums, from painting to loom building to photography – and did I mention his dad is a mechanical and nuclear engineer? As evidenced, Edwards comes from a long line of critical thinkers. “My parents didn’t really try to influence me too much. If I wanted to do this or try that, they were just encouraging of whatever that was,” recalls Edwards. “Which was making toy guns and wooden swords for a long time.” Once he got a little older, Edwards moved up to things like nunchucks. His dad even showed him how to take a glossy magazine page and turn it into a personal blowgun—a piece of knowledge Edwards passed on to me while sitting at his kitchen table. “We were more into developing the technology than we were into wreaking havoc,” jokes Edwards. Along with designing and creating sculptures, Edwards is a renowned