Kevin Shaffer, Leadville, CO

Sculpture 1 : Box of Rain

Media: Reclaimed steel, copper, and aluminum

Dimensions: 10-feet height x 2-feet width x 18-inches depth

$5000

"Box of Rain" is about creating awareness around the drought emergency the U.S. West and states like Utah and Colorado are experiencing right now. At the artwalk I would like to talk more about that. This sculpture was made from 100% reclaimed materials refinished and reformed into art media. Three of my signature fabrication methods can be seen on this sculpture: spherical welds, "dragontrails" an engraving technique, and the use of reclaimed materials found at the local landfill metals pile. For the last 2 years I have been painting with acrylics on canvas; I found that painting helped me deal with the loss of my two beloved huskies that I had for 13 and 15 years. Laying down the paint thick and chunky was almost like sculpting for me, and I learned something through this technique that made it's way into "Box of Rain" that seems fitting given it's concept around water; it's what I do not paint... or... it's what I do not weld... that makes the artwork more powerful to me; a bit of a minimalist gesture that becomes the beauty and inspiring piece of art to create.