Artist Introduction:
Carl Wright never really had a
choice. He had to work in 3-D …...everything else seemed so …. flat.
His medium
of choice is stone because of its long lasting beauty, its ability to evoke
emotion and stability through the tactile
feel and it’s sweeping design. Carl sculpts abstract shapes in alabaster,
marble and limestone. He prefers
alabaster because of the color, its workability, and because it is not a
homogenous color. “Marble is great for indoors. Limestone is great
anywhere“. Abstract stone sculpture conveys diverse
thoughts and emotions to
different people making it a good choice to engage the maximum amount of
viewers. It is also durable and low maintenance.
Carl Wright has been a
full-time artist for 19 years He has participated
in three Public Art programs, received a Professional (Artist) Development
Grant from the State of WV, and participated in juried museum shows. He is
represented by five galleries: one in DC, two in North Carolina, one in West
Virginia and one in Arizona. His work resides in homes in Zug, Switzerland,
Washington, DC, and Orlando, FL to name a few. One sculpture is in a
large pharmaceutical corporate headquarters in Durham, NC.
Comments on Sculpture:
Stone is a natural choice for
Carl’s work because of its ambiguity. His sculpture is characterized by the
contrast
of the cold hardness of the stone and the warm sensuality of the form.
Carl’s sculpture is a delight to the eye and
an uplift to the soul. It is meant to be a soothing balm to the eye after a
day in the working world. The sculptures do not shout their presence, but
have an authority and stillness all their own. The
intent of the sculpture is to infuse
viewers with calmness or bring a smile of recognition when viewing the
sculpture.
The sensual lines and forms of
his sculpture surge, separate, and then rejoin in a continuous dance of
design and shape. Most of his sculptures have openings in them – some long
and narrow and some circular. The piercing
in the stone serves two purposes. First is to highlight the design by
releasing the color and form to the daylight.
The second is far more devious. The piercing points up the implied
weightlessness, because of the light pouring through the sculpture. The
weightlessness is contrasted to the viewer’s knowledge that stone is a heavy
medium thereby setting up a level of ambiguity. These openings
encourage the sculptures to meld into their surroundings,
by showing fleeting images of people passing by and vignettes of the
surrounding environment.
The sculptures are about
fluidity and implied – rather than stated - motion. Many of his sculptures
appear to be caught, as in a photograph, between the movement they had just
performed and the next movement they are
about to begin. Some of the Motion
sculptures would include Kinpaku, Mizushou, Hansou, and Takou.
Other sculptures are meant to be about personal achievement or solitude such
as Eihei, Motion, Ikkyou, and Rhapsody.
His sculpture in that
sense shares many characteristics with Japanese design – understated beauty,
grace, and timelessness – ergo many of his works have Japanese names.
To Read some
articles on Carl -
Articles on Carl
