Once again David Mudgett received thumbs up from the Selection Committee and Best of Show from the judges for his 2022-2024 sculpture, “The Disc”, which has been added to “Thru the Years”. You will have to scroll down from 2005 to 2022 for a synopsis of “The Disc”.
In his artist’s statement, David describes how intrigued he was by his grandfather’s, the pipe-fitter, finesse and the magic of the molten metal dancing around his grandfather. Following In his grandfather’s footsteps, David spent years as a pipe-fitter. The ease at which large pieces of metal could be formed into limitless objects fascinated him and soon metal became an affliction, yet the conventional uses were littered with boundaries.
Urged to apply his metalworking skills to art, David produced his first sculpture and found this experience exhilarating. He had come upon the creative freedom he was searching for, David was hooked. The strength and versatility of steel affords him the liberty to take a piece in almost any direction.
Look over David’s body of work below; compare characteristics of each sculpture. Which ones are similar to the others and which are different. Could you recognize a David Mudgett sculpture without looking at the sign next to the sculpture?
More information about Davids’s sculptures can be found among our Past Trails by the year listed under each image beginning in 2013.
David Mudgett Works
Salvage
2005 “Salvage – 12’ x 48” diameter.
There became a metamorphosis of scrap pieces of rebar and pipe elements into the sculpture, “Salvage”.
Drain
2006 “Drain” 6’ x6’ x 4’ – Steel Plates.
David is fascinated with the ease of which large pieces of metal can be formed into limitless objects.
Vertebrate
2008 Vertebrate 2’x4’x7’ – steel.
"This piece was inspired by years of fishing."
Face Your Fear
2009 "Face Your Fear" 5’x5’x5’ – steel & granite.
"Spiders are an intricate strand in the web of life".
Relic
2012 Relic – steel – 5’x5’x5’.
Everything we see touch and feel is comprised of spheres.
Drain II
2013 “Drain II” 72” x 72” x 48” - Mild Steel Plates.
62 individual plates were flame ground & sanded to give an appearance the sculpture was cast whole.
David is fascinated with the ease of which large pieces of metal can be formed into limitless objects.
Fowl Play
2014 "Fowl Play" - 91” x 28” x 28”– Recycled pieces of steel.
This whimsical sculpture is the fusion of art and steel.
Tension
2015 “Tension” – 16’x 9’ x 5’ – Steel, stainless steel & granite.
One of the abstract bugs David has been exploring. Tension is waiting patiently to swing its wrecking ball at its prey.
Mine Sweep
2017 “Mine Sweep” 8' x 24” x 24” – Steel & stainless steel.
David is a full-time sculptor focused on steel and natural elements combined with steel. He views sculpting as offering excitement, intrigue, tests and triumphs with an every changing path.
Windows
2017 Geyserville, "Windows" 80" high x 88" wide x 88" deep - steel and stainless steel.
As I experiment with different sphere components both the difficulty and fulfillment increase. Each new configuration will offer both hard lessons and inspiring discoveries, leading me forward to the next piece, David.
Eclipse
2018 “Eclipse” – 48” x 48” x 36”– Steel.
To David the shapes of materials at hand inspire the pieces. Also, turning the rings into spheres seemed like the most natural thing to do. When you’re looking through the Hubble telescope or an electron microscope, you can’t escape the fact that spheres dominate our universe.
Poised
2019 “Poised” – 48” x 60” x 48” – Steel & granite.
David is an ambassador for spiders, often sculpting spiders, feeling they have traditionally been given a bad rap often needlessly destroyed out of fear. David wants us face our fears by looking past the stigma and realizing the true magnificence of these creatures.
Joe Magee
2020 “Joe Magee” – 8’ x 2’ x 2’ – Steel & stainless steel.
As a young man in the metal fabrication industry David often heard a person who did a poor job called “Joe Magee”. The term was used for years for shoddy work. Later David realized this was an example of how unintentionally we pass on racist behavior to our youth.
The Disc
2022 “The Disc” 64” x42” x44” – Steel.
“The Disc” grew out of a series of pieces exploring the heating, bending and combining of elements.
