With its beams designed to raise the eye to new heights, Fountain Spirit II naturally allows its viewer to relax his shoulders as he gazes upwards. Whether in a personal garden, office park, or public grounds, this work of art draws the weary to its feet and renews their spirits.
Because, as humans, we forget to look up, to look for hope, to revel in the abundance of life that is ours. We need those who are always pointing to a better way. And it’s no surprise that Kevin is one of those people.
His favorite sculpture, after all, is, “the sculpture that is about to become a reality,” to quote the January 2014 Kevin Robb Studios Newsletter. What speaks more of a hope than the constant turning towards a new creation? Or of joy than the ever appreciative eye, taking in all the world and transforming it into beautiful things?
If you ask any type of artist, they will tell you that the finished product is never exactly what they envisioned when they started creating. They will tell you that you can’t force anything, that you will completely ruin the art if you do. Creativity is not just making something from nothing, but being flexible enough to adapt your plans to unforeseen problems that arise. Sometimes the greatest works of art are created when things take an unexpected twist.
Things look different from a bird’s eye view, don’t they? People look smaller from up in the air when jet streams catch feathered wings and carry them aloft to new perches. We, as humans, are always out to find the next best thing to make our lives better, but I have a feeling, so are our feathered friends. Hopping from branch to branch, cocking heads, and calling out notes to one another, these birds are always on the move, always testing out new places.
So it was only natural that they should try out Kevin Robb’s sculpture “Chop Sticks,” on display as part of the Unbound: Sculpture in the Field exhibit at the Arvada Center. And, apparently they spent quite some time on this strange stainless steel tree, as evidenced by the large amount of droppings coating the creation. Thanks are in order to a personal friend that lives close by for taking it upon herself to clean off such additions to Kevin’s art.
But then, don’t we stop to think and enjoy the view when we find a good perch, ourselves? The adventurous young climber tests out limbs until he makes it to the top and enjoys a victorious surveillance of his new realm, and the unhurried hiker looks for a place to rest and listen to the wind in the leaves, or, the whispers of the heart.
I’m a friend of the Robb”s and decided that I wanted to move to Colorado after finishing grad school. The Robb’s have graciously opened their home so I have a place to stay while job searching.
By training and education I’m an analytical chemist. I like to know how and why things work; math, equations, laws, and principles are my best friends. This is the reason the Robb’s sculpture gardens is my worst enemy. I look out there and I see these magnificent sculptures that have no business standing upright, yet they are standing tall without being secured to the ground. My friend “vectors” are telling me all the reasons that these sculptures should be falling over, yet they stand so proudly and grand. It’s incredibly aggravating.
