Local News | Photos

Land O’ Lakes Sculptor Works with “Found Objects”

Posted Jul 22, 2008 by Geoff Fox

Updated Dec 31, 2008 at 01:33 PM

Bradley Arthur was sweaty enough to enter a wet T-shirt contest. That’ll happen when you spend hours under the sun, forging metal with power tools.

The Land O’ Lakes sculptor, known for making works out of “found objects”—some might say “junk”—was removing rust from a large, abstract piece in the yard of his Land O’ Lakes studio.

Wielding a 25-year-old angle grinder, he eliminated streaks of rust from an otherwise polished portion of “Family Ladder,” a towering work that gleamed in the Florida heat.

The streaks, he said, represented tears over environmental issues.

“I’ve always been concerned about the environment,” said Arthur, 54. “The climate change is evidence that it’s significant to not just talk about using our materials, but reusing and transforming some forms of waste into art. I’ve been doing that 35 years and it’s satisfying to see it entering the mainstream.” In 2001, he was chosen by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to build a pair of six-ton, roughly 10-foot-high star sculptures that were placed at the sheriff’s offices in Ybor City and Citrus Park. The works were made from melted guns collected in Hillsborough’s Cease Fire program. He explained the stars to me in 2003. “Every little thing or individual or aspect of the environment, when looked at alone, may not appear to have any significant meaning in relationship to the whole,” he said. “But when it’s combined – like community, people working together, like relationships – it really makes something special. “There’s a star and a circle; those are like primal forms that relate to the beginning of time.” And I thought the stars had something to do with a sheriff’s badge. Duh. Around the Tampa Bay area, his work, including his WORDZWORKX sculpture series, has been shown at the Brad Cooper Gallery and John F. Germany Public Library in Tampa and St. Petersburg’s Salt Creek Galleries, as well as at various Democratic fundraisers. He also has spoken about artists’ rights on WMNF, 88.5 FM. His sculpture, “ChairMuse,” has been in front of New City Hall Plaza in downtown Tampa since 1982; another, “Generations,” was bought by the Miami Jewish Home & Hospital for the Aged. Both are listed in the Smithsonian Institution’s Inventory of American Painting and Sculpture. A Tampa native, Arthur was raised in Miami and graduated from the University of South Florida in 1975. He later studied under master stone carvers, marble workers and welders at universities and studios in France, Italy and New York. For 17 years, he owned a studio in New York City. Resting in the shade of a crepe myrtle, he said he is in negotiations with a children’s hospital in New York, where officials are interested in “Family Ladder,” or a piece like it, for the courtyard. He lives in Land O’ Lakes with Jane, his wife, and college-age offspring, Ethan and Emily, simply because he loves it. Behind his studio, a sandhill crane ambled near a lake. Although the sun beat down relentlessly, there was thunder in the distance. Emblazoned across the front of a fresh shirt was: “CO2SOS,” a call to humans to save the eco-system. “The young people need to step up to the plate now,” he said. “The ball’s in their court to develop the courage and awareness to treat human beings and the environment as precious.” In Bradley Arthur’s world, inspiration is no farther than a hubcap on the side of the road, dialogue is as important as air and the glass isn’t half full, it’s overflowing. A dented muffler and blow torch to him is like a guitar and harmonica to Bob Dylan. Sometimes, though, you wonder if he’s ever driven during rush hour. “There’s a lot of beauty, harmony and unity in the world,” he’ll say. “Most people are considerate and fair.” Information about his work can be found at http://www.co2sos.com, http://www.st2p.com and http://www.bradarthur.com.

TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online    ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us

TBO.com:Feedback | Advertise With Us | Email Alerts | SMS/Text Alerts | Make Us Your Home Page | Member Center | Contact Us | Site Map | Media General Operations Credit Terms and Conditions
WFLA: See news developing? Email or call our Tipline at 1-800-348-WFLA | 8 on Your Side | 8's Army | Links We Mentioned | EEO Public Filings | Children's Programming | FCC Form 388
The Tampa Tribune: Subscribe | Place an Ad | Electronic Edition | Photo Reprints | Public Research | Archive | Corrections