2019 Sculptures

Narrow Escape

Narrow Escape

Co-op with Jim Perrine.

Narrow Escape shows a drama played out in life countless times. There’s nothing like the thrill of the hunt, unless it’s the relief of getting away! This piece is my first to use color glazes on my sculpture but it’s still forks, knives, and spoons at heart. It is also the first public piece made in (official) partnership with Jim.

Gary Hovey
New Knoxville, Ohio
People's Choice
Best of Show
Messenger

Messenger

What does “Messenger” mean to you? Today when we hear the word messenger most think of the app used to communicate with the world. But if we look up from our social media for just a second … We may realize we are missing the real message. 
This “Angel Messenger” is hand forged solid iron, its body and wings traditionally joined together with rivets.

Clark Martinek
Mitchell, South Dakota
InspirationAward
Descending Angel

Descending Angel

This sculpture symbolizes the spirit guide that accompanies the soul of the deceased  as it leaves this temporal world on it’s journey to whatever the soul goes. It is coming in for a landing to complete it’s mission, spreading as it brakes to a fluttering landing.

Mike Helbing
Limestone, Tennessee
8-Eighty-8

8-Eighty-8

A "Mobius band Concept Sculpture" in "Tulip Poplar", Celebrating the 8th Anniversary of the "Decatur Sculpture Tour", and my very Favorite Number!

When God's Original Son, (we call Him "JESUS") was born, He was given the Hebrew name "YESHUA".  When that name was translated into the Ancient Greek language (an "Alphanumeric" language, where each letter has a numerical value) It became "IESOUS", which has the numerical value of "888".  And, "Yes". "Eight" is my favorite number!

Curtis Rose
Decatur, Indiana
Masai Bride

Masai Bride

This was made from photos I took of a young girl in a Masai village. Behind her was Mount Kilimanjaro. In the Masai world. the young men, as they mature, sort themselves naturally into a pecking order, with the strongest and best at the top. When the men reach the age of 20-23 or so, there is a ceremony. All the young girls of childbearing age line the edges of the central space, and the men choose brides from them. I tried to show this young girl as apprehensive about who might choose her, and being very much aware of everything that was going on. Look into her eyes and see that she is looking to the side, checking out the progress of the selection.

Tuck Langland
Granger, IN
Books Beyond Books

Books Beyond Books

Young girl enjoying reading books.

Lawrence Starck
Loveland, Colorado
Incandescence

Incandescence

An incandescent flame of iron and bronze.

Clark Martinek
Mitchell, South Dakota
Serendipity

Serendipity

"This  is a Huckleberry Finn-type of boy with a straw hat complete with frogs, worm and a Yorkshire Terrier." Many days as a child were spent at Pier Lake in Grand Island, Nebraska fishing. Curiosity concerning the world made life magical and meaningful as I explored fishing techniques, new friends and the variety of amazing creatures surrounding water. Serendipity captures one moment in time when a child, in great joy, looks over his catch!

Julie Jones Denkers
Indianapolis, Indiana
Signetron

Signetron

A balance of mass and space that takes the observer through cycles of thought as the visual cortex solves the image.

Elton Bishop
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Piles

Piles

A chained group of pilings that protrude from the muck of a harbor.
They are placed in front of places where damage from ships and barges is likely to occur; such as docks, piers and bridges. These are resting places for sea birds and sometimes sprout weeds and even trees. Mine didn’t have anything on it, so I put a person stepping off into the abyss. To inject a bit of irony, there is a shark fin below.

Mike Helbing
Limestone, Tennessee
Pipe Trapped Apparitions #1

Pipe Trapped Apparitions #1

An 'apparition' CAN lead to our goals, dreams, aspirations, hopes of peaceful cooperation. Even if we feel 'trapped', our apparitions can be inspirations.

Can't we all get along?

Charles Yost
Chicago, Illinois
XYZ

XYZ

Whimsical half opened zipper...

XYZ - 'Examine Your Zipper!'

Todd Kime
Toledo, OH
A Sign of Love

A Sign of Love

A simple gesture of love.

Alex Mendez
Decatur, Indiana
Egyptian Lady

Egyptian Lady

Sculpture is molded from stoneware clay, hollowed out to 3/4 inch and fired at over 2000 degrees in a kiln. My favorite artwork has always been about mothers and children.

Helen Buescher
Decatur, Indiana
Solitude

Solitude

Solitude is part of a series of the four seasons and represents winter. She is alone and huddling in a heavy coat, contemplating the white drifts around her.

Tuck Langland
Granger, IN
Fowl Ball II

Fowl Ball II

Geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens are the descendants of dinosaurs that ruled the earth, but now we eat them. They had fierce and fearsome ancient ancestors, but today they can represent someone who’s silly, foolish, witless or cowardly.
Twenty-seven bird silhouettes form a sphere where the bird profiles become abstract disjointed shapes among random spaces in between.  It’s a just-for-fun study of positive and negative spaces with equal emphasis on the solid forms and the empty shapes.
Get the Peckture? Quack you up!

Lee Badger
Hedgesville, West Virginia
Sunflower

Sunflower

My grandmother Jones started the tradition of loving and nurturing flowers and gardens.  She had some of the most beautiful garden's each year.
Sunflower is meant to depict a joy of creation, childhood and the wonder of the world we live in.

Julie Jones Denkers
Indianapolis, Indiana
Clean up Crew

Clean up Crew

These two animals are nature's best cleanup crew, and I am showing them on the prowl looking for dinner, and in doing so, helping to clean up our environment. This is a life size sculpture of a 6 foot black bear with a crow getting a free ride on his back.

Judd Nelson
Wayzata, Minnesota
Social Fabric

Social Fabric

It seems like we all think we know what makes us "tick". But if we sit back and listen, we begin to realize that the daily clicks of our rhythmic relationships are who we really are in this life.

Matt Miller
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Space Bloom

Space Bloom

I love the surprise that we get from seeing out of the ordinary things in ordinary places.
It is these things that help bring awareness to our surroundings and creates the opportunity to reimagine our sense of place. Use your imagination and discover new blooms.

Nathan Pierce
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Persons of Interest

Persons of Interest

As an artist, I thrive on the diversity of the universe. It's such a strange and amazing place, and sculpture lets me explore it in new and exciting ways.

Craig Snyder
Plymouth, Minnesota
Legato

Legato

Co-op with Neil J. Wiffill

The word legato is borrowed from musical language. It expresses quality of movement in which flow doesn't stop, but the feeling is always continuous and fluent. The sculptures of both Curtis Rose and Harold Linke inspired different aspects of this piece.

Gregory Mendez
Decatur, Indiana
Forty/Love

Forty/Love

Forty/Love is one of my favorite pieces. The pleats of the skirt and the relaxed yet powerful pose make this piece special.

James Haire
Fort Collins, Colorado
beginnings

beginnings

This sculpture abstractly captures the moment a seed bursts open with the new life that lies within-- marking the beginning of something new and full of potential.

Benjamin Pierce
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Mayor's Choice
The Cabbage King

The Cabbage King

Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poem, The Walrus and the Carpenter – recited by Tweedledee and Tweedledum to Alice in Through the Looking Glass, this walnut piece started as a single half ton log.  Using traditional mallet and gouge carving methods this is what is left.  Midway through, a very nasty crack was discovered that necessitated using a second walnut log for the top hat, so , as the Queen of Hearts said "Off with his hat" (sorta)... The show must go on.   The piece's title comes from the poem “The time has come," the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—Of cabbages—and kings—And why the sea is boiling hot—And whether pigs have wings.”

Doc - Lawrence A. Wiedman, PhD
Huntington, Indiana
Committee Choice
Jumping Through Hoops

Jumping Through Hoops

Jumping Through Hoops was made for a call to sculptures for human movement.

Jacque Frazee
Milbank, South Dakota
Bleached Coral

Bleached Coral

Inspired from a recent visit to Australia.

Neil J. Wiffill
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Rusted Melody

Rusted Melody

A recognizable shape abstracted.

Alex Mendez
Decatur, Indiana

Titanium Sponsors

Adams County Community Foundation
Arts United / Indiana Arts Commission
Indiana Arts Commission
Porter Family Foundation

Platinum Sponsors

City of Decatur
Decatur Arts Commission
Hoosier Pattern Inc

Gold Sponsors

Adams Memorial Hospital
Adams Public Library System (In Kind
Ambassador Enterprises
Berne Ready Mix
Complete Printing Service
John Brune Digital Video
Terry & Anita Myers