Bruce Campbell, Creating Art from Discards

Bruce Campbell is one of my favorite local artists. He never fails to impress, amaze and inspire me with this talent, creativity and unique approach to life and art.

Not only is Bruce a talented sculptor and painter, he combines these skills with a unique way to reuse old items.

My art is created using various combinations of welding, carving, painting and engraving on salvaged industrial forms. I've diverted countless tons of material from the waste stream, and hopefully I'm helping people see the beauty and value in so-called "junk". As an artist, I benefit from the unique shapes and odd details produced for functionality (my process is a collaboration with unknown people who were unaware they were creating sculpture) which are often improved by being dented, gouged or partially crushed. I also love the gorgeous surface patinas and textures created by the forces of time, the gradual reclamation of nature.

Walking around Bruce's studio is an eye-opening experience. Old fashioned washing machines sport new faces, huge tanks become kings and queens with curls fashioned from parts of water heaters.

Old wooden gates become mystical wall sculptures.

Figures seem to appear and disappear, morphing from one image to another.

Much of Bruce's art is conducive to outdoor display. Whether due in part to scale or because of the materials, exposure to the elements can further add to the works.

By combining "found steel" and other found objects with welding, engraving and painting, Bruce brings new life to items that otherwise would find themselves either in the landfill or recycled into some new gadget.

Bruce does more than keep thing out of the landfill and save our resources...Bruce catapults everyday items into fantastic sculptures that are sold and exhibited around the west.

Photograph "Envision", Sculpture and Photograph copyright Bruce Campbell

Sculpture Show Goes Green

Loveland is a big sculpture town. We have sculptures and sculptors all over town. It is really great to be a part of a place with such an appreciation for sculpture. The world's two largest outdoor sculpture exhibitions both take place in Loveland, and this year they went "green".

These exhibitions take place in August, typically on the hottest weekend of the year. There are of course food and beverage vendors at the shows and smart people are drinking water all day to stay cool and hydrated.

For the first time, it was actually possible to recycle your water bottles at the show!According to Bruce Philbrick, Loveland Solid Waste Division superintendent, attendees recycled almost 3/4 of the waste from these two shows and the Art in the Park craft show. That kept about 19,000 pounds of waste out of the landfill.

Next year perhaps the food and beverage vendors will use recyclable containers for their goods, thereby reducing the landfill contribution even further.

I say congratulations to Philbrick and his organization. By having high-profile events like these demonstrate the importance and ease of recycling we can make our world a better place...and maybe, just maybe, by taking up less land and fewer resources for trash there will be more room for art!