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I have several creative outlets, but sculpture is, without a doubt, my ‘first love’. I thoroughly enjoy shaping clay. I can’t say why, but the human form is a real draw for me; for some reason, realistic, in-the-round sculpture is what I love to do. Perhaps it has to do with an instinctual, even cellular, challenge to reconnect with our place in the natural order of things. Nonetheless, I love the challenge to pull it all together: proportion, integration of the elements and the toughest part of all: detailing. The last sixteen-to-twenty hours of a sculpture are the toughest, but also, the most rewarding!

Art will always be the substance of my life. It is a multi-faceted experience. There is no single definition of what art is or what it means to be an artist. Years ago, when I was a student at California College of Arts (Oakland, CA) several of the instructors alluded to the artist’s life style as a way of perceiving reality, a consciousness unfolding moment to moment. Years of experience has taught me that their wise commentary on art was truly close to the mark.

Leslie Ariel works primarily in clay and concrete. Her forms derive from a classically modern abstraction of the figure as well as her particular interpretation of naturally occurring forms. She strives to make pieces that can be read simultaneously on several levels.

A Montana native, Leslie now calls Portland, Oregon her home. She has evolved her distinctively organic style over the course of more than 10 years, working mostly in ceramic. Over this time, her pieces have steadily grown in size and sophistication, and she has turned to concrete to accommodate their ever increasing size. Big Leg Mama, a concrete seated figure owned by the city of Puyallup, WA, is her largest work to date and stands at just over 8 feet tall.

I have over a decade of experience working with metal, utilizing conventional techniques as well as the unconventional in order to manipulate a broad assortment of metals and materials. Through heat, fire, and grinding I enjoy bringing out the natural occurring colors that lie within the metal, to give my pieces a unique and organic character.
I am influenced by a wide variety of sources; pictures, places, music, paintings friends, family, strangers, all these serve to provide me with countless fresh ideas and new challenges. Other artists, those working with metal and other mediums offer much inspiration for me as well. It is nature however, that provides the most inspiration for me, I find the complexity and the raw aesthetic amazing and I strive to recreate it in my work.

This piece evolved such that the finalform looked nothing like the original sketch. Cast by Valley Bronze of Joseph Oregon. Weight: approximately 80lbs.

Photo by Eric Giswold

J.D. Bump's sculpture encompasses a wide array of subjects and mediums; from small ceramic pieces created in a day to large award-winning sculpture like the bronze "Bull with Human Figures". This sculpture was was four years in the making and has currently been displayed at both the Portland Art Museum R/S Gallery and the Oregon Museum of Contemporary Crafts. Visit his website to see these sculptures and you can also view a large collection of his two-dimensional works. Be sure to view the paintings he created while living in Morocco, and see Bump's earliest childhood works in a section titled "Art From the Crib".

I am an Intuitive artist, having taken to art later in my years. This has given me many endless life experiences to draw from, along with a style of my own. I have chosen reclaimed materials as my media from which I draw much of the inspiration for each piece.
As a sculptor, I create eclectic art in a contemporary style using a host of metals and natural materials. My art comes alive as flora, fauna and abstract forms. My three-dimensional sculpture draws from a wide range of materials and ideas based on spiritual and holistic thoughts.
“I want to stretch the limits of the materials I use until there is heart and soul in each piece.”

Rip’s path has always been guided by one purpose: to revitalize the bond between man, animal and the land. In 1992, he discovered the ideal medium for that purpose, the complex Lost Wax method of bronze sculpture, a labor-intensive process that yields improbable delicateness from molten metal. Cast in sizes from miniature to monument, each infused with the spirit of the subject, Rip Caswell’s remarkable pieces silently reveal their captivating tale. His attentive skill as a craftsman is displayed in every work by capturing the excitement of life on the verge of movement, causing each sculpture to be more than a moment suspended but a dramatic story unfolding. Through his sculptures, undeniable emotions are transferred into clay and born into bronze. By gazing into the eyes of his subjects, their spirits are revealed and their stories preserved and retold by countless generations who will serve as caretakers of the bronze throughout its long journey through time.

Kim's inspiration comes from nature and travel. In order to bring each sculpture to life she takes time to research each subject prior to its creation and spends many hours sculpting each piece. Each animal she sculpts projects its own sense of movement and protrays action and excitement while keeping a simple form.

I began my career in ceramics, showing work in California, Oregon and Alaska. For the last fifteen years I have worked primarily in bronze and aluminum, producing quarter, half and full size figurative works. I strongly believe in the artist’s involvement in the entire process of creation and production and have set up my studio to include casting and foundry facilities for my work. I recently relocated to Portland where I am continuing my exploration of those mediums.

On the surface she is all about fun, dance and movement. But dig deeper and you'll find she is Attitude. She's political, she's passionate, she's interested. By no means is she reserved. This sculpture conveys rhythm and motion, yet her position is that split-second "freeze" before starting to move again - a personal statement within the dance of life.

"As an artist, I have really nothing to say. Otherwise I would have become a journalist." Anish Kapoor

Jim Demetro's sculptures are known for their distinctive quality of detail. Capturing an uplifting message in a groaceful composition of child/adult interaction is Demetro's passion. His sculptures are dynamic in form and function, with many incorporating water and fire to enhance the theme of the piece. Each reflects love, harmony, and the unconditional respect for all of life.

Randy: Plumbed for water, Life size.

This earnest, stalwart little messenger is on a mission to deliver an important declaration, namely: "It is important to realize that importance is not important."
He showed up in my sketchbook after a dream in which a helicopter dropped out of the sky and a uniformed man jumped out and urgently yelled to a group of us: "Importance is not important!"
I suspect this piece springs from my conviction that every human being is equal to every other; a conviction which causes me to dismiss hierarchies and authority.

Martin Eichinger's bronzes are refreshingly unique. They are evidence of a visionary artist who has something positive and eternal to say with his talent. More

Foster's creations have been in bronze & ceramics over the last dozen years. This is the first attempt to use stainless steel in an architectural context. All elements of both sculptures were designed and then drawn by Foster electronically in 3D Autocad. Each sculptural element was then laser cut directly from the vector based electronic files. Each piece was hand welded into position and finished at the metal fabrication shop, Trovo Design, in NW Portland under the supervision of Bob Foster. Installation was by Turner Construction Co., Seattle, Wa.

Tamae's work uses subtle forms of expression to reflect women's feelings and their sensuality.