Kinetic Flower Sculpture

by Al Garnto

The term ‘kinetic’ refers to movement. The top, center piece of this sculpture spins by harnessing the wind’s energy. Most of the artist's sculptures are made from recycled materials found in sawmills, machine shops, construction sites, dumpsters, and old barns. This piece is fabricated of carbon steel, stands 12 feet tall, and weighs 300 lbs.

Artist Al Garnto is a returning SculpTour artist. His piece, Wind Sculpture Weathervane, won the 2012 People's Choice vote and can now be seen as part of Suwanee’s permanent collection at Sims Lake Park. Garnto graduated from Atlanta College of Art as a painting/sculpture major. He is a full-time artist with a studio in Blairsville, Georgia. See more of this artist’s work at AlGarnto.com.

Mixed Emotions

by Davis Andrew Whitfield

This sculpture represents the stages of an argument – at first one can be angry and closed off, thus the “arms” being crossed over the front of the body; then after some time, one can become open to discussion and new ideas, thus the open arm on the side of the sculpture. This piece is fabricated of Corten steel, stands six feet tall, and weighs 225 lbs.

Davis Andrew Whitfield is a returning SculpTour artist. Whitfield has been an artist for as long as he can remember. His father hoped that he would major in biology and take over the family business in Mississippi, but he went against tradition and graduated with a double major in painting and sculpture from Delta State University. He is a full-time artist with a studio in Sylva, North Carolina. See more of this artist’s work at daviswhitfield.com.

Metaphysica

by Phil Proctor

Metaphysica is a non-representational work that attempts to elicit a reaction or emotion through the use of abstract geometry, composition, and color. Just because we do not recognize the form as an identifiable object, we still somehow make a visual connection that leads to an inspiring or intriguing experience. This piece is fabricated of steel, stands 15 feet tall, and weighs 4,000 lbs. 

Phil Proctor is a returning SculpTour artist; his installation The Herd - featured in the 2015 exhibit - won the People's Choice vote that year and can now be seen as part of Suwanee’s permanent collection near the cemetery at the corner of Buford Highway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road.
His sculpture Iron Canopy, which was in the 2013 exhibit, also won the People's Choice vote that year and now resides permanently in Town Center Park.

Proctor holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master of fine arts from East Carolina University. He has been a working artist in his Atlanta, Georgia studio for the past ten years. Proctor has permanent sculpture installations throughout the Southeast, as well as in countries across Western Europe. See more of this artist’s work at philproctor.com.

Votive

by Gregory Johnson

The composition of this piece is similar to a portal or gateway that suggests there is something new on the other side. It is interactive in that it invites your meditation and thought – you simultaneously absorb the immediate sculpture contrasted to its surroundings, which expands the work beyond its physical boundaries. This piece is fabricated of powder-coated stainless steel, stands five feet tall, and weighs 225 lbs.

Gregory Johnson is a returning SculpTour artist whose commissioned works can be seen on the grounds of Salude Transitional Care and Suwanee Station. For the past 50 years, Johnson's work has focused on figurative themes which he has cast in bronze and stainless steel. The artist's current contemporary set of works is built upon concepts found in his traditional works; however, instead of sculpting things that we see and are familiar with, he has chosen to depict elements that we feel but cannot necessarily touch or quantify. The warmth of the sun, the secure and loving feeling of a family, the strength of nature – these are just a few of the elements Johnson explores.

Johnson has a master's degree in art and has created numerous pieces as private, corporate, and public commissions.  He is a full-time artist with a studio in Cumming, Georgia. See more of this artist’s work at gregoryjohnson.biz.

Cow & Calf

by Jonathan Bowling

Cow and Calf is part of a series of steel animals that focus on interior and negative spaces as much as on contours and surface. The recycled materials used can date back to the turn of the 20th century. This installation is fabricated of recycled steel, stands five feet tall, and weighs, together, approximately 850 lbs.

Jonathan Bowling is a returning SculpTour artist. One of his previously exhibited pieces, Corey, was purchased by a local business and can be seen in The Terraces at Suwanee Gateway. Bowling grew up in Kentucky and earned his BFA from Kentucky University. He relocated to Greenville, North Carolina to pursue an MFA in sculpture at East Carolina University and has been working out of his Greenville studio ever since. He has shown extensively in the Eastern U.S., which has resulted in a number of lease agreements and sales to municipalities and private collectors. See more of this artist’s work at jonathanbowling.com.

Basin & Range

by Todd Frahm

Basin & Range is named for a John McPhee book of the same title. The book focuses on the geology of the United States, but at one point the author remarks that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone. The artist found it extremely humbling to learn the highest point on earth was formed on the ocean floor, and wanted to turn the rigid formless limestone back into a fluid, dynamic sculpture to pay homage to the sea that formed it. The sculpture is fabricated of limestone, stands 6.5 feet tall, and weighs 1,500 lbs.

Todd Frahm is a returning SculpTour artist. After earning his MFA, Todd taught at various colleges and universities before moving to Asheville, North Carolina to open his studio and become a full-time artist. See more of this artist’s work at stonecloudstudio.com.

Apollo's Scorn

by Todd Frahm

Apollo’s Scorn loosely refers to the Greek myth which tells the story of Apollo and his lover, Coronis. Apollo appointed a white raven to look after Coronis. The raven had the misfortune of conveying the news that Coronis had been unfaithful with a mortal. Enraged, Apollo cursed the raven, scorching his feathers black in the process. This piece is fabricated of powder-coated steel, stands seven feet tall, and weighs 350 lbs.

Returning SculpTour artist Todd Frahm is a sculptor and co-owner of Stone Cloud Studio in Asheville, North Carolina. He received his BFA from the University of Illinois and MFA from Southern Illinois University. Frahm has exhibited nationally in both solo and group exhibitions across the country and internationally in Canada and Korea. One of his most recognized sculptures is the large limestone piece, Birth of Flight, at the Indianapolis International Airport. See more of this artist’s work at stonecloudstudio.com.

Nucleus

by Gregory Johnson

This artist likes to create lyrical shapes that suggest things that we see and are familiar with but cannot touch or quantify. Depicted here is a central focus where energy emanates from, much like a nucleus, with curves depicted in life and nature. The artist feels that curves are more energetic and uplifting in nature than straight lines. What do you think? This piece is fabricated of stainless steel, stands six feet tall, and weighs 200 lbs.

Gregory Johnson is a returning SculpTour artist whose commissioned works can be seen on the grounds of Salude Transitional Care and Suwanee Station. For the past 50 years, Johnson's work has focused on figurative themes which he has cast in bronze and stainless steel. The artist's current contemporary set of works is built upon concepts found in his traditional works; however, instead of sculpting things that we see and are familiar with, he has chosen to depict elements that we feel but cannot necessarily touch or quantify. The warmth of the sun, the secure and loving feeling of a family, the strength of nature – these are just a few of the elements Johnson explores.

Johnson has a master's degree in art and has created numerous pieces as private, corporate, and public commissions.  He is a full-time artist with a studio in Cumming, Georgia. See more of this artist’s work at gregoryjohnson.biz.

Reach 

by Marc Moulton

Reach is a spire that directs the eye upwards from a bronze reaching hand at the base towards a lofted aluminum wing. The sculpture form is inspired by the act of imagination one has when using action to leap from place to potential. This piece is fabricated of aluminum, steel, bronze and wood, stands 14 feet tall, and weighs 200 lbs.

Marc Moulton is a returning SculpTour artist, as well as the artist commissioned by the City of Suwanee to create Remembrance, a World Trade Center Display, which can be seen in Town Center Park.

Moulton grew up in Utah, where the landscape around him influenced his work. Moulton's artistic focus over the past several years has been on creating artworks for public spaces where the attraction lies in the aesthetic challenge of responding to the project site and themes while creating art that is both conceptually and visually successful. In addition, Moulton is an instructor in the 3D art program at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he works to ensure that his students understand how design, textures, colors, and form communicate. See more of this artist’s work at stainless-sculpture.com.

His n Hers

by Gregory Johnson

This artist likes to create lyrical shapes that suggest things that we see. He feels that this sculpture offers a sense of good humor (pun entirely intended for those who know their ice cream) while being colorful and eye catching. (Not everyone who walks up to this sculpture will see that they are popsicles!) In your family, which one is His and which one is Hers? Constructed from stainless steel, this sculpture stands five feet tall and weighs 240 pounds.

Returning SculpTour artist Gregory Johnson has worked as an artist for 50 years, prolifically creating sculptures with both traditional and contemporary themes. His traditional sculptures, as well as his most recent contemporary pieces, featuring simple, elegant geometric shapes, can be found in private, corporate, and public collections across the United States and in several other countries. A Cumming, Georgia resident, Johnson has a master's degree in art from Illinois State University. See more of this artist’s work at moderngj.com.

Ascending Throne

by Breelyn Wilson & Dallas Gillespie

This piece is a collaborative effort of North Gwinnett High School student Breelynn Wilson and her sculpture teacher, Dallas Gillespie. The piece weighs 20 lbs., stands 5 feet tall, and is fabricated of aluminum.

Ascending Throne is the combination of two stacked chairs that have the illusion of three chairs depending on the viewer’s angle. The sculpture is a physical depiction of the human need to be on top.  The cost to maintain a high status can be great; the floating chair is a reminder that we are always vulnerable, even at the pinnacle.

Mel

from the private collection of Mellow Mushroom / Home Grown Industries, Inc.

Meet Mel O. Mushroom of Shroomville. Over the years, Mel and his family and friends have appeared in Mellow Mushroom restaurants, calendars, and even in their own comic strip.

Love, Suwanee

from the private collection of Mellow Mushroom / Home Grown Industries, Inc.

Amor... Amour... Liebe... Kærlighed... Dragoste... Lyubit'... Mohabbat... Ài... Pi'āra... Upendo... Uthando...  Bhālabāsā... there are so many ways to say LOVE! (And even more ways to SHOW love!)

I Love to Sit 

from the private collection of Mellow Mushroom / Home Grown Industries, Inc.

The statue's left hand is signing “I love you” in American Sign Language!