Annual Outdoor Sculptures

Bob Doster

A South Carolina native, Bob Doster has owned and operated his studio and gallery, Backstreet Studios, located in Lancaster, South Carolina, since 1975. His monumental sculptures and functional artwork can be seen in galleries, museums, private collections and in public displays from the corporate collections of Saks Fifth Avenue and Founders Federal Credit Union to the State Art Collection of the SC Arts Commission.

— “Art is conversation between the eyes and the soul….my creations arise from my visual memories as they are experienced in my whole being. My hope is that the viewer will walk away with memories of their own experiences.” Website: www.bobdoster.com

Roger Halligan

Roger Halligan has been creating sculpture since the mid nineteen seventies. He received his MFA with honors in Studio Arts from the University of Georgia in 1977. After graduation he joined the newly formed Exhibit Design Department at the North Carolina Zoological Park where he was involved in the design and construction of natural habitat exhibits for African and later, North American animals.

He left the zoo in 1992 to devote his time to his fine art. He has exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions and has won numerous awards and commissions. His sculpture is in museum and public collections including the Weatherspoon Museum at UNC Greensboro, the Maitland Museum in Maitland, FL and the William King Museum in Abingdon, VA. Outdoor public collections include the Kellog Center, UNC- Asheville in Hendersonville NC, the cities of Carrboro and Raleigh, NC, and Chattanooga, TN.. Other sites include the North Carolina Center for the

Advancement of Teaching, Cullowhee, and Rock City, Lookout Mt., GA. His work is privately collected and can be seen regularly at the Arts Company Gallery in Nashville, TN.

— “My work examines boundaries, warnings and lies.” Website: www.rogerhalligan.com

Tom Holmes

Tom Holmes was educated in New York, and lives in Greeley, Pennsylvania. He is an artist, musician, and sculptor. He has been self-employed exploring his art since his mid-twenties. He works in stone, metal, wood, light, ice, and water.

— “I am drawn to working in the six elements of stone, metal, wood, light, ice, and water. It gives me the ability to work intuitively. All possibilities can exist briefly before I impose parameters to my emotional and intellectual contexts. The undercurrents of natural decay, unity, duality, symmetry, space, time and dimension are at the heart of my creative energy. Process, for me, is the essence of my art.” Website: www.tomholmes.com

Gregory Johnson

Gregory Johnson lives and works as a professional sculptor in Cumming Georgia. His works have been exhibited widely, are in numerous public, corporate, and private collections.

— “I chose the circle as a thematic symbol because of its cleanliness of shape, presence in our ever day life, and the fact that it has no corners- just one beautiful line with no beginning, middle or end. An incredible spiritual shape, that invites interpretation, and is so very common in our landscape. Radiance is a work that references mother nature in motion- whether the warmth of the sun, planetary movement, it suggests circular movement.”

Website: www.moderngj.com

Scott Lacey

Scott Lacey is a sculptor who lives and works in Dahlonega, Georgia. “Inherent throughout my work is a concept I call “organic geometry.” For me, this is the confluence of flat surfaces, geometric shapes and curved faces that are arranged to present challenging associations. Look for the interaction of line, shape, movement and form, with the metaphors of relationships such as family, growth, and nature. My work blends a lifetime of experience in the natural world with the multifaceted bonds of today’s families. I find my inspiration in physics, science, math, and the natural environment.

In my design, I am looking for a combination of shapes to create an overall image of unity or tension, as well as shapes that balance or complement each other. I begin with many drawings and through the process; forms emerge, which I further develop into three-dimensional objects. I have been working with these forms and ideas for several years. Each piece informs the next through process, design, and production. I want my designs to pose a challenge to the viewer to imagine further, to analyze the standards of our world and accept that there are more solutions yet to be discovered. Enjoy art, become enriched, and remember, ‘art takes time, and time is recorded through art.’”

Meagan Lafferty

Meagan Lafferty Graduated from UNG in the fall of 2020 After receiving a mini-Curca grant along with Halle Castillo, she completed this sculpture to be exhibited in front of the new Arts and Technology building. Lafferty’s work has a spiritual theme, cultivating mindfulness and self-reflection in the viewer. Her work encompasses both painting and ceramics.

Kyle Van Lusk

Born in the mountains of North Carolina, sculptor Kyle Van Lusk has been inspired by the balance of beauty and strength in the Blue Ridge Mountains since childhood. Lusk continues to create sculpture that manifests this relationship and his affinity for process and materials. Raised in a small community near Brevard, NC, Lusk was encouraged by his parents from an early age to engage in the study of art. His first formal study was at Brevard College, then earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1995 from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Renowned for its excellent sculpture program, East Carolina University was also where Lusk chose to study as a graduate, earning his Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture in 1998. Since completion of his graduate work, Lusk has created and displayed work in several juried public sculpture exhibitions. He also has works in many permanent collections and on loan to college campuses throughout North Carolina. Kyle has taught art at Appalachian State University and currently is Assistant Professor of Art at Brevard College in Brevard, NC. With his wife Heidi, children Declan, Julia, and Ian, Lusk currently resides and maintains his studio in Brevard.

— “I strive to create work that is engaging and original. I primarily work non-objectively so that my intention is to not directly represent an object or individual from life. I do, however, often use proportions and forms from the real world as inspiration. I believe that sculpture should be exciting and new to the viewer and yet still contain an element of familiarity. My hope is that upon experiencing my work the viewer has the feeling of being shown something they have never seen before yet they still feel strong, indefinable and compelling connection.”

Website: www.kvlsculpture.com

Damon Lusky

Damon Lusky lives in Dawsonville, Georgia, where he operates Studio 308. He began his journey in metal arts more than a decade ago. His evolution as a metal artist first began as a self taught practical welder and blacksmith. Over the years he has broadened his range to include participation in local art shows, one man exhibits as well as showcases at local galleries, businesses and residential settings.

— “A passion for metal, a love of organic shapes and textures inspire my use of metal as a medium.  Guided by the nature around me, seeing each piece evolve, following the bends, curves and lines of the metal, sometimes manipulating the color myself, other times allowing nature to patina the color for me, make each piece one of  kind. I enjoy working on both a large and small scale with a myriad of materials and finishes. Designing many pieces myself bringing to life the ideas of others at times has become a life long passion.”

Website: studio308.com

Andi Steele

Andi Steele received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of South Carolina in 1994 and her Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Georgia in 2004. Between degrees, Steele spent six years at the Penland School of Crafts, participating in the Core Fellowship Program from 1998-99. In her work, Steele seeks to bring attention to our surrounding environment; what already exists, how we interact with it, how it can be changed. She uses linear elements to create sculptures that shift how we perceive the forms and space around us. She exhibits her work nationally. Steele currently lives in Wilmington, North Carolina where she is an assistant professor of sculpture at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

— “The lines of Through both divide and encompass space. They frame different areas of the surrounding environment but also create new spaces within the sculpture. The diminishing sizes of the forms emphasize the interior space, inviting the viewer into the form. The interior and exterior become interchangeable, challenging spatial perception.”

Website: andisteele.com

Wesley Stewart

Wesley L. Stewart is primarily a sculptor, but creates art across many disciplines including, but not limited to, drawing and painting. His work encompasses both linear and planar aspects, incorporating color to accentuate specific areas of the work or to the surrounding area where it is placed. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, his interest in sculpture began when working for the family business – Stewart Sheet Metal. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Augusta State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Georgia Southern University.

— “The metal sculptures I create are three-dimensional drawings. I draw and doodle constantly in my sketchbook, making subtle changes with each new page. These countless drawings express various gestures, shapes, and linear qualities that will relate to how I intuitively fabricate. I call this process “Drawing in Space.” Inspired by street art and video games, my work contains similar qualities that are shown through the combination of strong line, gestural energy and layers of bold colors on planar shapes.”

Website: www.wesleylstewart.com