Bio

Kevin Byall studied Art and Visual Communications at Iowa State University. Kevin is a sculptor and model maker in the virtual environment of Computer Graphics as well as on independent projects in steel, wood and stone. His CG work is placed in the Smithsonian Institute, and his tangible works have been awarded first place in locally juried shows. When Kevin entered his only nationally juried competition, his art received second place and toured the country for a year. Whether working in traditional media or exploring new material, his art reveals balance in flow and form, and beckons to be touched.

Statement

As a sculptor, I find lines and balance within a solid shape, and create a form that asks to be touched and caressed. I've worked with stone, wood, resin, clay, steel, paper mache, found objects and pixels.

Exploring common objects such as a safety pin, a chain link, and a burned matchstick has led me to implement radical approaches in texture and size relationships. My goal is to give the viewer an unusual perspective of the ordinary, as well as elicit a compelling desire to touch the sculptures. Some of my work is sublimely humorous. Not funny ha ha, but fun and unusual, quirky and unique. Some of my work is art to help people see things in a new way. I am constantly looking for new materials and processes with which these images or forms can be retrieved or created.

My work as a computer artist gives rise to the creation of objects that are not bound by the laws of physics as we know them. Computer-generated works are intangible, yet natural balance, line and form still conspire to define the works. But to me, the tactile sensations of physically sculpting is just as vital a part of the work as is the overall composition and form of the piece. When working on wood or stone I put forth energy with an intense fervor that I sometimes surprise myself at the intensity and fierceness in which I attack and remove the chaff that hides what needs to be released within the material. My release releases the form within. Because of this extra aspect of physicality, sculpting tangible objects is by far my preferred form of expression.