After a very rainy spring, the gardens are finally in full bloom and it is a true pleasure meandering through the flowers, bushes and grasses.  Contemporary metal sculpture in the garden enhances this total experience!

How about a large scale sculpture as the main focal point in your garden?  It is the one thing that a person sees when they turn that corner into the gardens; but it is just not the sculpture – it is

"Playing Ball" and Bobo the dog

Stainless Steel Sculptures in the gardens of Kevin Robb Studios

the total experience.  The colors, the aroma, the feeling of awe in witnessing the beautiful, graceful shapes of a contemporary stainless steel sculpture enhancing the ambience of the total garden experience.

Public parks have utilized large scale sculpture for years to enhance the experience of their parks.  Individuals can experience that same awe-inspiring feeling by placing contemporary stainless steel sculpture in their own personal gardens.

Comments (1) Jul 07 2011

One of the unsung benefits of using stainless steel in the creation of contemporary metal sculptures is the fact that almost all stainless steel manufactured today is made using scrap stainless steel. In an era where recycling is at the top of everyone’s mind, this is truly a benefit.  And in fact, the stainless steel industry prides itself on having an estimated End of Life recycling ratio of anywhere from 80-92%.  The makeup of stainless steel, which consists of iron, chromium, nickel, molybdenum and other valuable raw minerals, is what makes recycling of this steel so viable.  Also, when stainless steel is recycled, the end result has no loss of quality.

Looking for an edge in acquiring your LEED certification?  Try stainless steel sculptures!  A large, monumental sculpture in front of an office building or in a public art arena can be such a defining element to a project.  How awesome to be creating contemporary sculpture using stainless steel and knowing thatthis particular metal industry has such an excellent environmental track record.

Comments (2) Jun 29 2011

The materials utilized in the stainless steel sculptures of Kevin Robb are of an 11 gauge steel or stronger, depending on the size and structure of the piece.  All of Kevin’s stainless steel sculptures are sprayed with a polymer resin blend coating called ProtectaClear, supplied by Everbrite (www. everbritecoatings.com).  This clear, blended coating assures a lifelong, lustrous look.  As with any metal that is outdoors, a gradual darkening may occur over the period of many years.

To clean the sculptures from everyday dirt and grime, simply wash down the sculpture with a mild soap and water.  A clean, soft towel can then be used to dry any water spots.

"Flying Kites"

Yup, it’s that simple!  DO NOT ever use a cleaner on stainless steel that is abrasive, contains copper or iron, minerals, chlorine or window cleaning solutions.  In the event of vandalism with an etching tool it will be necessary to physically grind the surface with a new 80 grit 7″ sanding disc and then reapply a coating over the sanded are.

Comments (0) Jun 15 2011

www.kevinrobb.com/blog    In any study of sculpture there are the 5 basic elements of design that determine the composition of the sculpture:  form, scale, color, line and texture.  But taking these basic concepts of design one step further is the idea of mass and space.  These two principles are at the very core of large scale, contemporary sculpture.

One of the first things a person notices when they encounter a large scale sculpture in a public art arena or a large contemporary sculpture in front of an office building is the massiveness of the piece itself (and just because a sculpture is big doesn’t guarantee it’s a great sculpture!).  The materials in the sculpture itself have all the 5 basic elements but it is the mass of the materials that initially draws a person into a contemporary sculpture.  From there, the principle of space comes into play.  Space is the 3 dimensionality of sculpture and refers to the feeling of depth.  Space can be negative or positive.  Positive space is the actual space that is occupied by the material.  Negative space is the areas surrounding the primary object and often times is just as interesting, if not more, than the positive space itself.  A prime example of negative space is the feel and look of the negative spaces created by the flow and juxtaposition of the elements of Kevin Robb’s contemporary sculptures, particularly in the stainless steel sculpture “Whimsical Dances”. The importance of the space not occupied is a true strength of this sculpture.

Comments (1) Jun 06 2011

www.kevinrobb.com/blog    A lifetime!  A monumental sculpture doesn’t “just happen”.  And wonderful “accidents” don’t just happen either.  A contemporary sculptor has spent years learning, experimenting, discovering shapes, lines, negative spaces and the relationship of all these elements to create a fabulous design.  It is the maturity of the sculptor, not just age, but the maturity of the sculptor’s design process that assures the success of the large scale sculpture.

Can you imagine stepping back and looking at a monumental stainless steel sculpture and thinking “oops, that element should have been turned around?”  Visualization!  And planning, planning, planning.  Kevin Robb has completed numerous large scale sculptures for both public art projects as well as for developers utilizing metal sculpture for the finishing touches to their projects.

"Flying High"

Comments (1) May 26 2011

“Sagitta” is the latest contemporary metal sculpture that has been created by Kevin Robb.  Once again, our welders laugh as they think about all their training in welding straight lines.  This contemporary sculpture twists and turns and intersects at all sorts of different angles.  The beauty of these large metal sculptures is that the lines and curves are unpredictable.  This would be an awesome sculpture for a public park as the design is strong from any angle it is viewed.  “Sagitta”, which is Latin for arrow, soars towards the skies through the stars.  A person can only imagine where the arrow may end its flight.

"Sagitta"

Comments (1) May 12 2011

Don’t ever believe that stainless steel sculptures are “just silver colored”.  The grind marks on the contemporary scultpures along with the assemblage of the various elements creates a dynamic visage.  And nothing is more enlightening than to see stainless steel sculptures shining bright after a spring rain!

This time of year everything seems more intense with all the colors appearing deeper and brighter.  The joy of having garden sculptures is to witness how they change during the seasons.  Hard, cold metal comes alive in the form of sculpture andwhen the light changes with the changing of the seasons, the sculptures change along with the seasons.  What a joy to be able to witness this!

Comments (1) Apr 19 2011

Kevin and works in progress

What could be more fulfilling and exciting than being in the studio creating sculpture?  The stainless steel metal bends, forms, moves with the motionof the tools.  The flat, cold hard metal becoming graceful, fluid shapes; individual shapes being encased on all sides with welding of the metal and then ground smooth to the touch.  The final grinding of the surfaces of the metal allows the inner beauty of the stainless steel, highlighted by the shapes, to shine through.  The juxtaposition of the different shapes becoming monumental sculptures!

Comments (2) Apr 11 2011

When someone mentions public art the first thing that comes to mind is a large scale sculpture in a park, or maybe a corporation that has placed a contemporary sculpture in the front of their building.  But, what about sculpture on private property that can be viewed by the general public?

Placing large scale sculpture on your property illicits numerous responses and it is such fun to hear the neighbor’s reactions.  One of the favorite comments was an elderly neighbor that would watch from afar as the metal sculptures would come and go from the studio.  One day Kevin was spraying water on the stainless steel sculpture to clean it and this gentleman yelled from across the street “Kevin, no matter how much you water it, you know it’s not going to grow!”

Then there was the neighbor that came out of her house yelling at Kevin to stop moving the sculpture that had graced a corner of the sculpture garden for a couple of years.  Kevin looked at her quizzically as she explained that she could see that particualr sculpture from her kitchen window, had grown very fond of it, and didn’t want it moved.

Just this morning a woman was walking her dog, stopped, and asked who the artist was.  She stated that the sculptures displayed in the yard were such a boost to the neighborhood.  Her daily walks always entailed walking by our sculpture garden just to enjoy some art.  What a beautiful complement!

"Chop Sticks"

Comments (1) Mar 24 2011

“All Children are artists.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”  Pablo Picasso.

A contemporary sculpture elicits different impressions from different individuals.  One person sees an animal, another sees a sail boat, and yet another individual could see a sunset.  And why does that sculpture need to represent anything anyway?   Why not a feeling, an emotion, a memory?  If that contemporary sculpture elicits a feeling, an emotion or a memory (good or bad), then the sculptor has succeeded!

“It took me 4 years to paint like Rapheal, but a lifetime to paint like a child”  Pablo Picasso

"A Feather In His Cap"

Comments (5) Mar 17 2011