fine art – K.R.'s Metal Art Forms

February 8, 2018December 4, 2023

Spacetime

Status: In a Private Collection

Application: Indoor/Outdoor

Signed: KR2015

“Spacetime” is an abstract sculpture that is comprised of new materials and found objects, and it is reflective of my fascination with the origins of our existence. In theoretical physics, the fabric of spacetime is the combination of the three dimensions of space with the fourth dimension of time. According to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, the force of gravity has he ability to bend the fabric of spacetime and, thereby, change the passage of time. No where is this phenomenon more evident than with the gravitation forces of large celestial bodies, like stars and blackholes and “Spacetime” seeks to represent that phenomenon.

The piece is made of 1/8″ weathering steel, welded together with with 309L stainless steel, using the tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) process, to help accent the seams of the piece.

The vortex shape of the piece is representative of the gravitational pull on celestial bodies like planets, stars and galaxies. And at the center of the piece are two stainless steel, dish shaped found objects with circular holes in the center of them, that are faced back-to-back and welded together along the edges of those circular holes. The opposing congruent shapes of the dish shaped centers represent the gravitational bending of spacetime, while the edge around the center opening represents the “event horizon” of a blackhole that leads to the infinitely small (and I would argue non-dimensional) point of singularity. Anytime that I can represent the contemplation of the Universe and the origins of our existence in my art, I will.

The piece is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and it measures 84″ tall, 30″ wide and 16″ deep. “There” would make a wonderful addition to any garden or yard and would work equally as well for many commercial and residential indoor applications.

Spacetime

February 4, 2018February 15, 2022

There

Status: In a Private Collection

Application: Indoor/Outdoor

Signed: KR2015

“There” is an abstract sculpture that is comprised of new materials, reclaimed materials and found objects, and it is reflective of my fascination with the origins of our existence. As advanced as we have become in our beliefs, mankind has yet to definitively answer some fairly simple questions like: “Where are we?” and “Where do we come from?” And despite this lack of knowledge, one thing is certain… the answers are out “there” where this piece directs our attention.

Although the piece can be pointed towards any direction of outer space, I designed it to point generally towards Polaris (the “North Star”), the star that has guided mankind in in its earthly endeavors of the northern hemisphere for millennia. And it is the general direction of its orientation that currently point to the depths of our Universe, which mankind is currently striving to understand and navigate.

“There” is made of 1/8″ thick weathering steel, welded together with with 309L stainless steel, using the tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) process, to help accent the seams of the piece. The piece is adorned with stainless steel, “cosmically inspired” found objects that include: a sphere that represents one of the dimensional “particle” structures of the Universe; two discs that represent the typical rotational, gravitational planes upon which celestial bodies move; and finally a shaft with smaller discs along it that progressively reduces its diameter to a focal that points “there” – where the answers are.

Anytime that I can represent the contemplation of the Universe and the origins of our existence in my art, I will.

The piece is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and it measures 84″ tall, 17″ wide and 40″ deep. “There” would make a wonderful addition to any garden or yard and would work equally as well for many commercial and residential indoor applications.

There

May 8, 2017March 4, 2021

Conundrum

Status: In a Private Collection

Application: Indoor/Outdoor

Signed: KR2016

“Conundrum” is an abstract sculpture that is comprised of new materials, reclaimed materials and found objects, and it is reflective of my fascination with our attempts to understand the universe around us. The piece strives to explore the concept of infinity and the conundrum it often presents in theoretical attempts to understand a three-dimensional universe. To reflect that conundrum, I have turned the infinity symbol from the horizontal plane it is normally represented in, to a vertical plane and I’ve placed it within the confines of a circle, to represent the confines of a three-dimensional existence. The piece sits atop a single-vortex shaped base that sits outside the dimensional confines of the Universe, representing a black hole and the infinitesimally small point of “singularity” that theoretically exists at its center. Calculations that try to find a unified theory between Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, often produce a result of infinity. The stainless steel disc that is located at the point where the outer edge of the Universe joins the center of the base, represents the illumination of “where the answers are” for the “conundrum.” Anytime that I can represent the conundrum of contemplating the Universe and our existence in my art, I will.

With the exception of the infinity sign, Conundrum is primarily constructed of found objects. The outer ring that represents the confines of our dimensional universe is a wagon wheel ring from a horse-drawn carriage from the 1800’s. The single-vortex base, that represents the black hole upon which the dimensional universe rests, is a found solid steel object that is three inches thick. THe stainless steel circle that represents where the answers to the conundrum can be found is a found piece of 1/4″ thick stainless steel, that was round in shape when I found it. The piece was cut in half and polished.

Conundrum is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and it measures 55″ tall, by 53″ wide and 18″deep. The piece would make a wonderful addition to any garden or yard and would work equally as well for many commercial and residential indoor applications.

Conundrum

August 5, 2015December 3, 2023

Immersion

Status: In a Private Collection

Application: Indoor/Outdoor

Signed: KR2015

“Immersion” is an abstract sculpture that is comprised of new materials, reclaimed materials and found objects, and it is reflective of my fascination with the way in which we struggle with trying to understand our origins and our surroundings.

For quite some time, I have obsessively contemplated the truth about our origins and I’ve found that the interference of certain believes often stands in the way of finding the answers. Every aspect of this piece strives to address that and stimulate a deeper level of thinking about the often conflicting ways in which we strain to interpret facts and reconcile them with our beliefs. Immersion’s almost alien appearance intentionally serves to represent how alien our beliefs can sometimes be from the actual facts.

In all that exists, there is only one truth and at the highest point of Immersion is a single stainless steel disc that serves to represent that truth in its purest, unadulterated form. The disc is connected to a stainless steel bar that descends along Immersion’s top and represents the timeline of our lives. As the “disc of truth” connects with timeline of our lives it becomes deformed and discolored, representing how our beliefs in life begin to distort the facts that surround us. Facts are indisputable but when our knowledge of facts is limited, they are consumed by our beliefs.

As you progress down the timeline of life, a second, larger stainless steel disc begins to become immersed into the timeline of life and the rusty sides of Immersion. The rusty sides of Immersion represents our limited Earthly knowledge and the “immersion” of the now growing disc represents how facts often become “more than what they are” when they are immersed into our beliefs. Descending further down the timeline of life, we find that the stainless steel disc has become much larger and completely immersed and entrenched into our beliefs. The disc has now formed a small hole that represents the narrow view we’ve established about those facts.

As the timeline of life descends to its end, it drops off and descends down a copper face that cascades down with the rusty sides of Immersion and widens slightly until it terminates into a stainless steel base, now stained by the rust of our Earthly beliefs. The descending copper front and rusty sides serve to represent a melding of the facts and beliefs in our lives, as they transition to the “after-life” where beliefs end and only the facts remain … neatly packaged in the confines of a stained, rectangular stainless steel base, that is the stained culmination life. The irony of the “stained stainless steel” is not lost in the design.

Immersion is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and it measures 68″ tall, by 8″ wide and 13″ deep. Immersion would make a wonderful addition to any garden or yard and would work equally as well for many commercial and residential indoor applications.

Immersion

July 6, 2015April 21, 2017

The View

Status: In a Private Collection. (Please contact me to commission a similar piece.)

Application: Indoor/Outdoor

Signed: KR2015

How do you “view the world” and our existence in the Universe and what is your perspective on “what you see?” The answer to this question is unique to each of us and “The View” frames that answer for all that look through it’s window. “The View” is an abstract sculpture that is comprised of new materials, reclaimed materials and found objects. The piece is designed to frame a desired view, encompassing “the view” in a 39″ diameter stainless steel circular frame.

The encompassing view sits atop a slender, cement filled, rectangular base made of weathering steel, that tapers to a forged and polished stainless steel mount. The base is also accented with a polished stainless steel disc at the crux of its taper and the entire piece is welded together using stainless steel in the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process.

The piece is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and it measures 77″ tall, 39″ wide and 20″ deep. Its slender design makes placement of The View versatile and its maintenance-free construction will ensure many decades of indoor/outdoor enjoyment. The View would make a wonderful addition to any garden or yard and would work equally as well for many commercial and residential indoor applications.