Steve Shelby - Artist Interview

Hello, and welcome - we have another artist interview this week - with Steve Shelby! 

Thanks for sharing your amazing work with us Steve!  

Steve Shelby

1. How would you describe what you do as an artist?
I take metal sheet (mostly brass, copper, or bronze) and hammer it into three dimensional forms that are hopefully aesthetically pleasing, and, in some cases, useful.

2. What inspires your designs?
Nature. Curvy things.

Tea Wrex © Steve Shelby

3. How long have you been involved in this type of making?
I took a jewelry class in 1970, and decided this was my medium. Soon after college, I got a job as a metal craftman (not an artist), and forgot about art until about 2002, when I started doing what I do now. I owe this re-awakening partly to the urgings of my mother, and partly to the realization that the internet would allow me to get my work out to the public in ways never dreamed of before.

Big Urn © Steve Shelby

4. Where are you located?
I live near South Whitley, Indiana, one of the most ordinary places anywhere. It's in NE Indiana about 20 miles west of Fort Wayne. I'm surrounded by farm fields. There are a lot of Amish farmers in the area, which makes it a little more interesting than it would be otherwise. Living in a place where everything is ordinary makes one have more appreciation for anything even slightly out of the ordinary.

Dog © Steve Shelby

5. Do you have a website or etsy/artfire/1000market etc store?
Website: http://www.shelbyvision.com
Blog: http://ganoksin.com/blog/shelbyvision

6. What other ways do you market your work?
Exhibitions, locally and nationally; Galleries; museum store.

 Bronze Vase © Steve Shelby

7. Do you teach? if so, where?
No, never have taught, but I have posted many detailed tutorials on my blog, which seem to be quite popular. I have also had many people tell me I should do workshops or demonstrations, but so far, nothing like that has materialized.

8. Any sage advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
Don't be afraid to fail. We learn and grow from our failures. Don't be afraid to try your own way of doing things. You may discover techniques that are actually better than the way you were taught. You don't need a lot of expensive, fancy tools to make great art. There are work-arounds for nearly everything. Museums are full of fabulous art from the past made with the most primitive tools.

Pod © Steve Shelby

9. Where do you envision your work going in the next year?
These days my creative energy goes into exhibition pieces. I have some ideas for kinetic and interactive pieces that I want to get working on, if I get the time.

10. Anything else you would like to share?
Blog: http://ganoksin.com/blog/shelbyvision
Recent TV interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wymc7A0Xpew&feature=player_detailpage

© Steve Shelby