Artist Eric Powell’s sculpture work is driven by a visceral urgency to build. Compelled more by intuition than dialectic thinking, Powell’s sculpture is driven forward by a moment-to-moment exploration of his materials. By understanding site and context, Powell allows himself to explore areas that may not follow a logical or systematic pattern, he inevitably finds a place where certain magical juxtapositions occur. “It is a vulnerable and highly charged experience,” notes Powell.
Powell works primarily with steel, one of the most common and ubiquitous building materials in the modern world. Powell values the material for its versatility, malleability, and its decidedly alchemical properties. Steel transforms into a material as pliable as clay, which can be formed, pounded, molded, and bent into virtually any shape with the right amount of heat and force. An avid collector, Powell integrates elements of his large cache of historical steel and iron objects into his artworks. These serve as reminders of the country’s rich industrial past. Powell also incorporates other metals into his work, including bronze, wood and glass.
Powell is most well known for his large works of art that relate strongly to site and architecture. Working both on commissioned private works and public art projects, he relishes in translating an idea into a large, free form structure that can withstand strong wind loads and harsh environments. Working out the physical requirements of large-scale work presents a fascinating challenge. Powell also appreciates public art commissions for their collaborative aspect, as well as for the opportunity to design and create works of art that are lasting, permanent, accessible, and compelling for all viewers.
Powell studied sculpture and painting at the California College of the Arts and the University of Southern California. In 1982, he co-founded Spirit Arts Gallery in Sante Fe, New Mexico, where he created an extensive body of sculpture and furniture. In 1989, he founded the Eric Powell Studio in Berkeley, California where he produces works in public art, private commission, and for gallery and museum exhibitions. Recent/Current works include Napa Benches, a set of eight benches and two chairs installed along the main street of Napa, California; and Archeology, a set of four large-scale public art pieces for the Wallis Ranch development in Dublin, California.
