Featured Artist : Paul Hill

FEATURED ARTIST

Paul B. Hill : Conceptual Metalsmith and Sculptor

Wilmington, North Carolina

Paul Hill's fascination with the arts began at early age, observing his grandfather work in his photography studio. He describes the experience as watching him "paint with light".  Paul started his own art career as an illustrator and painter. While exploring his creative process, he felt a brewing desire to push his work into 3 dimensions, and made the transition from acrylics and ink to metalworking about 10 years ago.  Paul's metal artwork is truly extraordinary and inspiring. He is a prolific sculptor and a positive force in the public art scene.

"I work from a "Direct-Metal" approach to sculpture...where the work is slowly built up, piece by piece. The Industrial Age of Machinery and the Art-Deco period have always been an influence in my life and now in my work. I always try to reflect part of that "feel" into each piece I create." - Paul Hill

  

This formed and welded steel sculpture is titled "For No Apparent Reason". It was inspired by Moroccan goats that actually climb trees to feed on their berries. Click here to watch a video of this interesting behavior. The piece is currently on display at the Cary Town Center. It was one of 10 finalists for the 2010-2011 Cary Visual Art Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition. Part of the appeal of Paul's work is its humorous tilt. This piece will stop you in your tracks, make you look at the person next to you and say "...what?..."  You are moved to figure out the meaning of this strange situation. Paul says he enjoys making "art that challenges people." Aside from creating work that is compelling conceptually, his craftsmanship and technical skill are top notch and are an excellent vehicle for his whimsical ideas. It is nice to see a metalworker creating such complete works of art, and Paul is very productive as well.

"Straining to Be" by Paul Hill

Paul starts mapping out his hollow forms by making chalk drawings on his table. He works out basic proportions and compositions as he "captures the character" of his subject matter in silhouette.  From the drawing Paul builds a 3 dimensional steel armature and makes any desired modifications to the form. Next he adds the sheet metal skin, which is hammer formed section by section. 

     "Southern Hospitality" was purchased by Residents of Old Wilmington and is being donated to the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. 

"This piece is one of my favorites, in that the Venus Fly Trap is very native to the Wilmington, NC area. The stems are steel and the plant tops are made from colored fused glass." - Paul Hill

"Absolute Uncertainty" by Paul Hill

"The passage of time slowly reveals our inner and outer blemishes...This is the first piece in a series of 5 sculptures...with the intent to involve the observer both physically and physiologically." - Paul Hill

Paul's "Insatiable" Series addressing social issues of consumption and natural resources.

 

"Sentient" by Paul Hill

Please take a moment to visit Paul's online portfolio and learn more about his incredible talent. He is available for commission work and public art projects, and has several pieces for sale on his website. He is an outstanding metalsmith and a thoughtful artist.

The Record - Exhibition at the Nasher

There is an interesting exhibit up at the Nasher Museum of Art called The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl. The featured works by 41 artists from around the world explore the culture of vinyl records within the history of contemporary art. The participating artists used vinyl records as the subject or the medium for their pieces. I worked on one of the sculptures with my friend Dan Furgurson for Satch Hoyt. Satch is an incredible artist from Berlin. The Nasher brought him over to construct his piece and do some lectures during the build. He hired Dan and I to help with the fabrication. Satch was wonderful to work with as both a designer and a human being. The Nasher ended up purchasing the piece when we were finished. The sculpture is called Celestial Vessel. It is a 16 foot long canoe made of red vinyl records. Here are some photos of the work in progress and two videos.

Satch had several boxes of red vinyl records which we were to make into a canoe. We built a steel frame and attached the records to it with strong earth magnets. The magnets allowed us to remove the vinyl for shipping and storage, and also gave us the freedom to reposition them as we needed.

The steel structure was TIG welded upside down 

Placing the records evenly around the compound curves of the ends of the canoe was challenging.

We were working in the beautiful Liberty Arts open air foundry in Durham NC.

It was great working with Satch. He played amazing melodies on his flute while we were welding.    He is an accomplished musician as well as a visual artist.

The finished sculpture ready to be boxed up and taken to the Nasher. The steel frame comes apart in three sections.

Images from Maronpot Studios

I would like to share some of my favorite projects from the last ten years. My metalsmithing experiences started at ECU in Greenville NC, where I had most of my formal training as an artist. After graduation the real education began! I have found that it takes an awful lot of courage to get by in the art business, as well as determination and talent. Without a doubt, the connections you make along the way will be the secret to your success. I would have given up on the idea of being a professional artist years ago if it wasn't for the unconditional support of my friends and family. In the interconnected and google indexed global community today, friends and family take on a whole new meaning. So lets share and share alike!

This hammered copper wall sculpture is one of my personal favorites. It was formed from a single sheet of 16 gauge copper using a process called repousse and chasing - more on that later. It is about 25 inches in diameter and relatively lightweight. The design was inspired by coral formations.

 
I will be posting a photo documentary on how this sculpture was created from start to finish. This piece was made using very simple tools - hammers, punches, a torch, and a towel.

This 4' tortoise sculpture was made from a single 4' x 8' copper sheet. It was hammer formed and welded out of 16 gauge material. The hollow sculpture was filled solid with a plaster and vermiculite mixture. It weighs 175 pounds. I have extensive documentation of the build. I will be sharing that later.

This honey bee wall sculpture is made of formed copper sheet metal and cast polyester resin. The honeycomb is about 30 inches wide and the honey bee is 8 inches long. I have pictures of this one in progress as well. The wings were the most challenging part of the project for me, but I was out of my comfort zone there, since they are not made of metal.

I like to make functional things from time to time as well! This large coffee table is made of steel, copper, brass, oak, and glass. The pitted steel rods in the left most panel (the roots, or sticks) were salvaged from an industrial site. They came pre-textured!

This is a close up with the glass top removed. The copper panel on the top was formed using the repousse and chasing techniques which I frequently employ. It was hammered free-form without the use of molds or dies. The texture on the brass plate in the bottom right was created by melting the surface with a torch.

This 36" geode sculpture is made of hammered copper and welded steel. The center design was formed from a single sheet of 16 gauge copper by way of repousse and chasing. The outer structure was made from the cut-off end of a heavy steel water tank. A piece of 1/8 inch thick steel was welded to the top, sandwiching in the formed copper sheet. The colors are the result of several patina experiments including gun blue, boiled linseed oil and rust.

This close up shot shows the repousse and chasing work on the copper panel. Repousse refers to moving the metal forward from the back of the design, and chasing is pushing the metal down from the front. I will be explaining more about that process later. The colors in the copper were created by carefully heating the metal with a torch.

This copper catfish sculpture was made from hammered and TIG welded 16 gauge metal. It is about 3.5 feet long. It was assembled in three major sections. The head is a modified cone shape and the body is two formed panels welded along the spine and belly. I have photos of this one in progress.

This piece is similar in design to the first one I posted. I made a series of 3 of these coral inspired wall sculptures, this was the first. I like these because the process of forming the metal was very direct and hands on. There were no complicated or expensive tools, just the sheet of metal and the artist. It is about 25" in diameter.

Lots more to come so stay tuned!
Visit my website to check out more metal artwork.
Feel free to leave comments or suggestions too!

Maronpot Studios

Welcome to the Maronpot Studios Blog! I will be posting images of my work and pieces by other artists which I find to be extraordinary or inspiring.  I hope you will contribute with your feedback and thoughts about art and sculpture in general. These posts will include photos of work in progress as well as technical information and demonstrations of metalworking techniques. I will be sharing my experiences in the world of professional art and valuable links and resources for fellow artists.  For appetizers,  here are a couple images from my website!

welded steel with bronze finish. 8' tall

Formed and welded copper, steel base

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