Author: the ArtiFactory

Meddling In Metal

Metalworking as an art form involves a variety of metals and a host of techniques and materials. Fabricating, casting, welding, forging, electroforming, soldering and the use of cold connections are a few of the methods used to form iron, bronze, copper, silver, gold and found objects. You will see all represented in this exhibition by local metal artists during the month of June at Arts Iowa City’s ArtiFactory.

Featured will be works by Johnathan Goupell, Cheryl Jacobsen, Patricia Knox, David Luck, Steve Maxon, Joe Nelson, Doris Park and Tony Sutowski. The works of Doris Park are included in remembrance of Doris and her artistry as a sculptor, courtesy of her partner, Steve Maxon.

This exhibition is a celebration of the versatility and beauty of metal as a medium, showcasing the diverse styles and approaches of each artist. Whether you are a seasoned art enthusiast or simply curious about metalwork, “Meddling In Metal” offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of metal artistry and the local creative minds behind these stunning pieces.

Discover more about the artists

• Johnathan Goupell
• Cheryl Jacobsen
• Patricia Knox
• David Luck
• Steve Maxon
• Joe Nelson
• Doris Park
• Tony Sutowski

On Gallery walk | June 6 | 5pm – 8pm

and in the Studio

Wet Plate Collodion Process is a photography technique that started in the 19th century. Besides their unique aesthetics, wet plates are special because they are archival and can hold onto one’s beautiful memories for generations. Wet plates could be done on different materials, including glass, metal plates like aluminum, steel, iron, or acrylic sheets. What we are going to do on the Gallery Walk Day on June 6th is called alumitype, also known as tintype. Through this process, each photograph will be done on a thin sheet of aluminum.

In the world of cellphones, where we have thousands of images stored on our smartphones, having a ‘one-of-a-kind’ physical photograph of a moment that one could literally hold in their hands is a gem.

more about Ramin Roshandel

Arts IC | ArtiFactory Gallery
120 N. Dubuque St.
Iowa City, IA 52240

• Free Admission
• On display through the end of June

Our gallery is open Saturdays from 1-3 pm

Can’t visit on a Saturday? Please make an appointment.

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Artist Statement

Johnathan Goupell

I find great joy in the manipulation of metal that ends up truly complementing a space. I work to create a final installation for the viewer, the artist, and the art. I enjoy working with many different types of metals, i.e., steel, stainless steel, aluminum, Cor10, copper and brass, and I seek out opportunities for collaboration with other craftsman and artists whenever possible to both enhance my own body of work, but also to support their needs when metal infrastructure is needed. You will find my work not only in parks or galleries, but also on the street corners and the porches of our community.

• 1832 Muscatine Ave
• Iowa City, IA 52240
• (319) 631-8842
• www.formfitmetal.com
• Instagram
• Facebook

Interview: Johnathan Goupell

• ArtiFactory: How did you discover metal work as an art form?
  • I started building furniture when I was a structural steel welder, and that has progressed into continued work in furniture but also other forms of sculpture.

• ArtiFactory: What are the challenges of working with metal? What are the advantages?
  • Well, as a welder it’s much easier for me to add, subtract, cut, splice, etc.  So much more so than a carpenter.  Metal, like all materials, has a working point where the piece is pretty much destroyed after too much work.  You learn till that point and start over with the knowledge you have gained.

• ArtiFactory: You have sculptures entitled “Cells, “Ribbons,” “Pillars.” What makes a subject compelling to you?
  • I see a lot of work through forms(pieces) and then figure out how to create them.  It’s easier to give myself boundaries like a pillar and see what happens inside.  

• ArtiFactory: How did you choose the works for the ArtiFactory show?  
  • Honestly, this show for me was about pushing boundaries.  There isn’t much coherency in my work for this show.  I just wanted to work on things that have been floating around in my head for the last few years and make them a reality.

• ArtiFactory: What makes Iowa City (and Muscatine) a good place for artists?
  • You can just look all around you here in Iowa City and see all the efforts to make art a part of our community.  There are so many places to interact with art and for that I am thankful.  I am grateful to anyone who has a part in that process because it’s not easy.  If it was just up to the artist then there probably wouldn’t be as much art available.

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Artist Statement

Tony Sutowski

Tony Sutowski received his Undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University, in 1987 Tony received an MFA from Ohio University with a dual major in Sculpture and printmaking. Since then he has shown in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky & West Virginia. Shows were Invitationals, Juried & Solo.

While pursuing a career as an artist he was also involved with academia as an Academic support Specialist (Tech) & Adjunct faculty with: Cleveland State, Indiana/Purdue Fort Wayne, Michigan State University & for the last University of Iowa.

 Between academic stints Sutowski has spent time working in association with the Studio Foundry a fine arts casting facility located in Cleveland Ohio and honing his Auto Cad skills while working at Hutchins & Son In Statesville North carolina. He staged workshops in Bronze Casting and Printmaking in Ohio, Georgia & Utah. Now retired, Sutowski intends to continue to pursue his art on his own terms.  

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Artist Statement

Patricia Knox

My Life as an Artist – so many choices.

So much pleasure, though not all design decisions are made with ease. The freedom to be intensely present. What more can one ask for? The first element of my experience as an artist was noticing. Fascination with the Pyramids, the Coliseum, Eiffel Tower, The canal boats of Venice. Back in the States, making my own clothes. One afternoon, discovering dad’s cast-off sheet-rocking mud, a new medium! Grade school drawing, mural painting, and training with clay in college. Throwing cups, plates, bowls and teapots. Craft sales at art fairs paid for college.

The design sensibilities of fabrics and clay brought to metal working. Fascination  with texture and patinas. Where does the drive come from? Maybe the same place a math major, programmer who loved to create the shortest, cleanest program to achieve the results he envisioned got his enthusiasm. Driven creative design, love of a medium. No difference.

No thought of hunger or worry, lost in the freedom to create…

Intoxicating!

Interview: Tricia Knox

• ArtiFactory:  What are the advantages of working with metal as opposed to paint or thread in expressing your artistic vision?  Are there any subjects that lend themselves to metalwork?
  • Facility with challenging tools and techniques supported by knowledge about the characteristics of specific metals opens doors to a lot of other trades whose skills are then quite easy to learn after working in wax, mold making for casting, precise forming methods with hammers, soldering, welding and cutting with torches in fabrication.nMany seem to think working in metal might be very hard to do and they have no idea where to start. Tools and techniques and choosing the correct ones to produce a given result are all important as is anything requiring skills of a craft. The problem solving ability needed applies to any activity. One’s approach in metal may be done with detailed drawing as a careful step by step process though spontaneity lends itself to its own special results.

• ArtiFactory: How did you choose the pieces for the show?
  • As I thought about this exhibition and met metal artists, new to me plus those I have known for years, and the diversity of methods and training became evident. I hoped this would be an opportunity to show the community a variety of local talent and techniques.

• ArtiFactory: You attended UIowa in the early 1980s and studied with formidable teachers. How did working with Schmidt and Choo influence your artistic choices, methods, philosophy?
  • I originally came to grad school at the UI in 1971, following my BS in Education, immersed in working in clay with a little bit of exposure to metals and painting from my art teachers in SD who were UI grads.  I thought clay would be my continued direction or perhaps painting, but I shifted media largely influenced by Chunghi Choo and again later after returning in the 80’s, spent time in the sculpture studio exposed to Julius Schmidt and his students pouring bronze and iron.nAfter two years, MA in hand following learning to electroform, which was Ms Choo’s expertise, I decided to open my own studio fabricating and casting fine jewelry and metal objects.  I entered some competitions and shows though they were not my main focus.

• ArtiFactory : Describe the metal working community in Iowa City as it has evolved from the 1980s to the present.
  • In the 70’s and 80’s we were a pretty close knit group in school and town with our group MAA, Metal Artist’s Alliance. I moved away in 1985 having been one of the artists that started Iowa Artisan’s Gallery in 1984. When I returned to Iowa City in the early 2000’s  I got connected to the metals studio again prior to the 2008 flood though I spent a lot of time on major house remodeling projects with my spouse or was creating jewelry to sell in gallery settings which I had been doing since 1983.
  • The flood took out the UI art home base I knew, where I had gotten connected again, meeting students who were studying metal as I had.  We lost our easy gathering place and I began to lose contact being busy on other projects and responsibilities. There are others who could speak in more detail about that period at the UIowa Art Department out at the old Menards building and beyond.
• ArtiFactory: You are a founding board member of Arts Iowa City’s ArtiFactory.  How has Arts Iowa City’s ArtiFactory nurtured your artistic journey? What is your vision for the ArtiFactory’s future?
  • Spending a lot of my time since 2014 either working to find a location for AIC’s ArtiFactory’s concept of a community art center plus frequent tours of the building we identified as a fantastic space, required a lot of time away from my studio.  Being turned down for a loan for the building plus the spread of Covid to the Midwest at the same time put an end to the quest for space for several years. Several years ago, members of our board found the basement of Wesley House to lease as a new beginning since AIC had been homeless since the Wells Fargo building on the walking mall had been torn down. While homeless, to gain experience, we had offered Art in the Afternoon, hosting artist’s talks at Beadology and then at the Senior Center.  Some affiliates began teaching our drawing classes at the center.
  • My desire has been to pass on what I know about design and working metal after essentially 50 years of experience and study.

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Artist Statement

Stephen Maxon

I love melting and pouring molten metal; cast iron, bronze or aluminum. Designing and creating molds is captivating whether they are rubber, sand or ceramic shell. The back and forth from positive to negative space, from thin to thick sections can be mind boggling. All

the processes, from breaking open the mold revealing the casting, to TIG welding and finishing, on through patination tickle me. Ruins have always fascinated me with their mute narratives and revelations of structure moving from closed to open forms. Moldingand casting allows for the creation of brand-new ruins. I hope to amuse others along with myself with these works of art.

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Artist Statement

Joe Nelson

I am inspired by industrial relics and the geometry of nature. I often like an asymmetrical balance when fabricating, offsetting a perceived heaviness with lighter elements, creating a physically possible but visually impossible juxtaposition. In these pieces, for example, Sloop or Geoscape, I am striving to build a tension between what is in balance and what is off balance, using negative space to solidify the effect. A sense of uneasiness creates a tension that I hope reaches the audience as they experience my work.

Spatial relationships in a jumble – like pixie sticks randomly thrown up in the air and frozen in a snapshot of time – are another fascination for me. Pieces like Artifacts are intentionally whimsical, capturing the serendipity of the process in the final product.

I’m also drawn to juxtaposing curvilinear concepts with architectural structures and elements. For me, I seek to entice my audience with forms that evoke a sense of something that is grounded and stands for itself, an exciting resting place.

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Artist Statement

Doris Park

An appreciation of the natural world and an empathy for animals characterized the art of Doris Park. Her charming, beautiful bronze and iron sculptures often portray unusual or unappreciated animals, such as snapping turtles or toads. The wonderful detail and accuracy of her work creates a level of realism which is almost unbelievable, and the character of the individual animals, as well as their own special beauty, is readily discernible. She loved her horses and donkeys too, filling sketch books, envelopes and napkins with scampering equids. Doris passed away in July 2018. We miss her dearly.

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Artist Statement

Cheryl Jacobsen

I have a crowded basement full of rusty/odd/cool/discarded things I’ve found that need to be combined with other rusty/odd/cool/discarded things. I’m a matchmaker for these objects and find immense pleasure when I can put them together in harmonious ways. These pieces get bigger and heavier each time I create a new collection. Someday I may learn to weld.

I also do and teach calligraphy which shows up in the assemblages from time to time.

Cheryljacobsen.com

Interview: Cheryl Jacobsen

• ArtiFactory:  How did you discover assemblages as an art form?
  • My assemblage pieces grew naturally out of my natural tendency to collect small odd things and arrange them on my shelves. At one point I started mixing old photos and my calligraphy with little objects and framing them. They were very therapeutic and telling about my state of mind. As time went on, the objects got larger and heavier, I started incorporating less writing, more color and the arrangements became more complex. 

• ArtiFactory: What is a found object?  What makes an object compelling enough to be included in an assemblage? 
  • A found object is simply something I’ve found that intrigues me.  Sometimes they are literally picked up from the street; sometimes I find them in second hand stores. They are usually something manufactured but discarded, often old and rusty and out of their place. I also like bones and vintage game boards.

• ArtiFactory: Many of your works look “antique.” What is the relationship between the present and the past in your artistic outlook?
  • They look antique because most of the pieces are antiques, I like evidence of use and wear on things, I like the depth that is created by time that is not seen in something new and shiny or restored.

• ArtiFactory: How did you choose the works for the ArtiFactory show? 
  • These are works in my possession that have a lot of metal in them.

• ArtiFactory: What makes Iowa City a good place for artists?  
  • There are so many opportunities to connect with artists and to be exposed to many different kinds of art, as well as the many professionals and scholars and writers from different disciplines here.

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Artist Statement

David Luck

As a Metal Artist, I am continually intrigued by the properties, possibilities and traditions of metals in my sculptures. I try to integrate the way metal works with the formal qualities of structure, form, surface, pattern, rhythm and other visual content in a way that stimulates, connects and communicates with others.

Interview: David Luck

• ArtiFactory: How did you discover metal work as an art form?
  • My high school art teacher introduced me to jewelry making. Later I took metalworking classes from Chunghi Choo to fill the art requirement for my undergraduate degree in Photo Journalism.

• ArtiFactory: Many of your works feature forms within a grid. What is compelling to you about working within a grid?
  • When I started to make larger sheet metal sculpture, I discovered that I needed a supporting structure. My supporting structures gradually became a structural forming system. My structural forming systems then became part of my visual system. My “grid” suspension systems also let me make larger sculpture from manageable smaller pieces.

• ArtiFactory: Your work also looks like an ancient script such as cuneiform or hieroglyphics. Can you elaborate on this? Do you study ancient scripts for inspiration?
  • I think that hieroglyphic imagery is part of everyone’s visual DNA and the grid lends to that. However, my structures are composed of many grids overlaying each other. In addition to the structure, I hammer visual relief content into the individual tiles to add to the layered 3-D composition. I try to create a tension that disturbs the surface. Over the years I have filled a lot of sketch books with drawings from many different sources of inspiration. I have used many of these in my sculptures. My favorite way of working, however, is when I can project my ideas directly into the metal, reacting to its qualities.

• ArtiFactory: How did you choose the works for the ArtiFactory show?
  • I chose sculptures to show some of my evolution and visual exploration over time. Beyond the grid structures, I have worked in several different metal forming disciplines. You can see them at this site: https://davidlucksculpture.blogspot.com/ There is also a link to my jewelry on that site.

• ArtiFactory: What makes Iowa City a good place for artists?
  • Visual, literary and performing artists are a natural part of the Iowa City community. Iowa City accepts artists and provides inspiration, connections, opportunities, and support so that they can be here. The University community adds another layer of expertise and inspiration.

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