Award-winning sculptor shows off some steel

andreas morse/metro edmonton

Sculptor Mark Bellows is hosting Getwiste Staal, The Dutch Connection, an exhibition of seven recent sculptures at Common Sense Gallery. The show opens Friday night.

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Published: April 01, 2010 5:12 a.m.

Last modified: April 01, 2010 1:42 a.m.

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A local and award-winning artist is unveiling his twisted sense of creativity in a solo exhibition starting Friday.

Mark Bellows sculpts pieces of 12- and 14-gauge mild steel into creations he considers to be the luxury cars of the sculpture world.

Bellows used to take trips to the scrap yard to find metal shapes for his various projects.

“The problem was, I couldn’t get the finish I wanted,” he said. “It was because I was using metals that were different. I wanted my sculptures to look like a Ferrari or a Porsche or a Lexus, not a rusty Volvo.”

As a sculptor Bellows said getting people to look at your piece is half the battle.

“People look at Ferraris and they look at Porches and there’s a reason why,” he said.

“It’s because of the finish and I wanted to be able to explore that.”

Now Bellows uses clean steel for his sculptures and bends them into shapes that he sees fit.

“I’m still reacting to the steel I’m finding,” he said. “But instead I’m taking the time to make my own shapes, leave for a while, then come back and react to those shapes just like I would have if I’d found them at the scrap yard.”

The world premiere of Getwiste Staal, The Dutch Connection, opens with a public reception Friday at 7 p.m. and runs until May 7 at Common Sense gallery at 10546 – 115 St.

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