Artist Statement

When Holly Rodes and Randal Smithey met in 2002 they had no idea how quickly and thoroughly their lives would be transformed. Both came to the relationship with many years of artistic pursuit behind them, but only after they came together did they begin to explore the world of abstract sculpture and recognize the expressive possibilities of steel and bronze. In their work Holly and Randal create an embrace of sculptural forms expressing movement and balance. Often, a sphere holds the center while arcing shapes dance in orbit. In each piece they strive to achieve a union of independent energies around a common center.

In other pieces they begin with a steel plate, often cut in some way to form an opening. They take this single flat plane and shape it into a third dimension to form something resembling a landscape. The shape tells a story, inspired by a particular vision. The patina tells another, related story, guided by the shape. There is always an interaction between the shape and the patterns created by the patina. One is influenced by the other like a river or a road is guided by a landscape. The shaping of the piece and the painting of its surface become a single integrated act.

Randal Smithey and Holly Rodes Smithey