About Me
Reflections of my time at Indiana State University.
I took up sculpture in 1988 having worked at a trailer plant honing my skills as a weldor. I began to create sculpture on my parents patio for the first two years of my involvement in sculpture. I moved to Terre Haute in 1990 and entered their MFA program under the tutelage of Robert Evans. It was a wonderful, crazy, challenging, busy, fun time. Even though I had only taken up sculpture two years prior to coming to ISU I had a few sizable commissions under my belt. Or what I thought was sizable at the time before the tally was done. In my youth, enthusiasm and exuberance if memory serves I was a bit of a prima donna, and for that I am sorry.
The commissions I have gotten since then have gotten smaller and fewer than what I had imagined life to be after graduate school. But I still continue to create. I’ve scaled my dreams down a bit but continue to dream. Still continue to succeed. And for that I am grateful. I have yet to give up that day job which keeps me busy 40 to 48hrs. per week. But I consistently keep hours in the studio as well. 10 to 20 hrs. a week. If I have commissioned work that absolutely has to get done then I spend more hours. But as I get older I know that my energy isn’t infinite and try to pace myself accordingly. It’s a balancing act.
I remember Professor Evans used to tell me that my projects in support of my art were in some ways more impressive than my sculpture. Lifts to move the art, tables to create art. They were more spontaneous, free flowing, and had a greater life of their own. Over the years I’ve recognized this and treat many of my projects as extensions of my art. Whether restoring a century old house, building an ART fence for our yard or building dog and cat houses for our pets that literally resemble architectural models. I am in it to have FUN!
My next big project on the horizon is a two person exhibition with ISU’s own Nancy Nichols-Pethick to be at Gaslight art colony August of 2017. I’ve worked with some talented artist over the years and looking forward to working with this powerhouse of a painter.
I look back on the time I spent at ISU with fond memories. Some of the friends I made their are still my friends to this very day. My studio is only a few miles from ISU but my heart is even closer.
Philip Dees
August 8, 2016
My Drawings and Sculpture
At the core of my work is my love of drawing. Not finished refined drawing as works of art. But loose, exploratory, ever changing, evolving thumbnail sketchs. Sketchs that evolve ideas through 10's if not 100's of possibilities. Drawing: Putting marks on paper, creating imagery where none existed before, evolving idea(s) through visual thought processes. What is sculpture but drawing in space. Drawing in the 3rd dimension. The processes are not all that unlike. Sculpture being an extension of drawing. Is this mark true? Does the arrangement of forms hold more meaning than any one given form? Thinking visual, industrial, pragmatic and aesthetics all within the same processes. Evolving idea(s) as tactile manisfestation of line, shape, form and color. Visual questions that become interesting puzzles: Will this sketch lead to another? And another? Will it lead to a finished art drawing? Maybe progress to a scaled model or two? Will this little sketch be the one that manifest itself directly into a life sized sculpture? Will the actual manifestation of the idea hold greater meaning than the first kernel of a sketch? Or was the universe contained within the sketch to begin with? If the sculpture is realized will it be cherished? All these questions become interesting mental puzzles greater than, "Where did I leave my car keys? Did I pay the phone bill?" Mundane questions one has to ask themselves in life. MY ART IS A DESIRE TO SOAR PAST THE MUNDANE.
Another great motivating factor within my work is my adoration for industrial processes. Welding, grinding, polishing, drilling, sanding, cutting, measuring, clamping, hammering, painting more sanding...... All these things I enjoy. Thinking through pragmatic concerns and acting upon them. The rich tactile nature of the process. The loud blinding strike of the weldor's arc as I weld a bead. Dimes lined in a row if the bead is true. Sending giant dancing shadow figures upon the studio walls. These things I cherish. Don't get me wrong however. Many things in a metal shop are hard fought processes. But to push through and occasionally glide down on the other side. What better reason to pedal a bicycle to the top of a hill but to fly down the other side. Wanting to do it again and again.
Philip Dees
April 2012
Lost at Sea
I lost my biggest fan in 2017. The president of my fan club. My father passed away on May 20th 2017 after a six year battle with dementia. The best way I can describe my life and subsequently my art at this time is that his passing has taken the wind out of my sails. I'm still in the boat mind you. I haven't fallen overboard. I'm not cold in the water clinging to a life preserver. I'm not surrounded by sharks. I imagine some interesting works on the horizon. I see them in my minds eye. Quietly sitting. Hand on the rudder. Listening intently as the water gently laps the sides. Still no wind for the sails. I have no oar. I do have a few pieces of scrap wood. And a knife in my pocket. Might I be able to carve a crude oar to move this boat to the far off horizon?
Philip Dees
Oct. 29, 2017