From Scrap to Sculpture: The Art of Richard Swenson

What happens when a retired physicist discovers that he's an artist? From Scrap to Sculpture - The Art of Richard Swenson provides a sampling of the whimsical scrap metal sculptures created by Los Alamos, New Mexico sculptor Richard Swenson. A retired physicist, Swenson had been sculpting for well over a decade before he started to accept that he was a “real” artist. Swenson’s welded scrap metal sculptures reflect the precision of his scientific training, his familiarity with animal forms and the way that technology replicates their design in mechanical components, and a childlike sense of whimsy. It is Swenson’s hope that his sculpture, created from the spare parts cast aside by our throw-away culture, serves to remind us of our vital connection to the natural world.Richard Swenson’s work is widely held in private, corporate and museum collections, and is also on public display in New Orleans and in the cities of Los Alamos, Whiterock and Carlsbad, New Mexico.With an introduction and photography by Troy Buchleiter, Director of New Concept Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, From Scrap to Sculpture features over 60 of Richard Swenson's iconic creations, ranging from small tabletop pieces to large works of public art. Read more