As part of my Artist 2012 Series I want to Introduce Sculptor Reilly Hoffman
1)
When did you become interested in
creating art?
I have been
interested in art and processes for making things for as long as I can
remember. My first notable experience happened at age nine while touring a
small foundry of an Arkansas sculptor. I watched the molten bronze get poured
into the sand molds and I remember being enamored by the glow of the molten
metal.
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| Steel Feathers |
2)
Tell me about your decision to work
with metals and your methodology.
My interest in
metal came from that first experience in the foundry as a child. This developed
into an exploration of metals and processes after working in that foundry for a
time. Later on while in school, I started using steel to fabricate forms using
conventional welding processes. The satisfaction of building the forms
directly from the ground up was satisfying in contrast to the translation of
wax into bronze as in casting. In regard to steel as a sculptural medium,
I felt like most of the building processes that are so common in contemporary
steel sculpture did not exploit the potential of steel as a medium and I wanted
to find a way to actually sculpt my material in a process that was intrinsic to
the properties of of the metal. Through much experimentation and research into
archaic metal working techniques a method of carving intense texture was
developed that takes steel and treats it more like a piece of stone or clay
rather than the structural shape steel is typically extruded in.
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| Corax |
3)
What inspires your work? I also see
you have sculptures from very large scale to small in size.
Much of the work is
inspired by the desire to create objects that reference nature, but not to
replicate it directly. The work is often inspired by ancient texts that
reference shapes, objects and ideas that span cultural and geographic barriers
that invoke a sense of community and universality. In regards to the scale of
the pieces, I like a thought that Albert Paley expressed about
scale that irregardless of size that work should treated with the
thoughtfulness and delicacy the is required for a piece of jewelry.
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- Alms
Matara a collaboration: Kelly Dickens &
Reilly Hoffman
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4)
Who are your mentors in the art
world?
There have been many
people that have contributed to my growth as a person and a sculptor in this
city and if any point can be expressed about this growth. It is that artists
cannot exist without the support of their environment. Some notable people in
my development would be Ursula Von Rydingsvard and Bill Zahner of
Zahner
Metal in Kansas City.
Another contribution to
my growth over the last year is my collaboration with artist Kelly Dickens. We
have combined our individual knowledge and skill sets to create such things
like the current Alms Matara show in The Crossroads district of Kansas City.
Fortunately, Kelly has an equally esoteric wealth of knowledge in ancient
practices but in areas like theatre technology and scene design. All this aids
us in having a holistic approach in our collaborations.
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| Alms Matara in Reilly Hoffman in collaboration with Kelly Dickens Current Exhibit at The Todd Weiner Gallery |
5) I loved viewing your sketchbook (on Reilly's website) . Do
your drawings come from images you have seen or your imagination?
Most of the drawings
that have been done reference things that I may have seen, but they are
typically done without direct subject matter. Drawing for me as it is for many
others is an exercise for the hand, eye, and mind to connect.
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| St Lukes Hospital Installation |
6)
Where do you show your art and do you
have any exhibits scheduled in the near future?
As mentioned above,
Kelly and I are currently have an exhibition at the Todd Weiner Gallery that
closes on March 31st. We currently have some commissions at various stages of
completion. One public commission is an 11 foot sculpture that will be
installed this May as Park Place in Leawood, KS. We are currently building a
new website to showcase our collaborative works and illustrate many of the
ancient processes that we employ to create our work.
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| Padma Theosis |
7)
What advice do you have for
aspiring artists of any age?
The best advice I can
advocate to anyone is to find creativity in everything you do and be willing to
take risks with ideas or techniques. I would also suggest collaborating with
people in and outside the the art world. Don’t be afraid to seek out
knowledgeable people as we rely on the knowledge and skill of many craftspeople
to make our creations. Lastly, don’t be afraid to work really hard.
Reilly thank you so much for the interview for Artist
Series 2012...visit Reilly's website & find much more images and information at Reilly Hoffman
Photography by Matt Nichols and Kelly Dickens
I truly appreciate the interest in my 2012 Artists Series, You know that comments are very much appreciated!
Art by Karena
The winner of the Fresh Produce Giveaway is Dianne of Yonks!!
