Artist's Statement/Bio

Keith Millar

Sculptures in Steel and other metals, Industrial Objects, Clay, Rock and Wood

Cupertino, CAI began in 1987 with classes in art history, sculpture and ceramics at UC Santa Barbara - which opened my heart and mind to expression and human communication using real-world materials. I continued course and studio work with Bill Geisinger at De Anza and then Bruce George at Foothill. I created industrial objects, like gears, in ceramics, then evolved to combining metal and ceramics with bolts and welded structures. After spending more and more time with welding and metalworking, around 2000, I dove* fully into the wonderful world of rusty metal finishes and up-cycled machinery or automotive parts.

I have always been drawn to a blend of: design for specific mechanical purpose, the passions of retro futurism, and a minimalist approach. I appreciate the artistry that was built into the castings for gears in the massive machinery of the industrial revolution, and consider myself a student of the Futurist designs influenced by car culture, jets, the Space Age, and the Atomic Age. As for materials, I am enchanted by the striking property of metal which can be so massive, strong, and weighty, and yet can flow and be reshaped. Even the finishes on metal seem contrary that such hard, polished metal surfaces can soften and develop beautiful shades of color as they rust.