By Bonnie Gangelhoff
When sculptor David Seth Brass was in elementary school, his family moved from New York to Salida, CO, a place where his love for the outdoor life flourished. “I’ve been collecting stones and fossils ever since then,” Brass says. Today, he lives in a small town near Denver and is still passionate about stones. These days, however, he fashions figurative and wildlife sculptures from his found treasures. His stones come from far-flung locations around the world, including Greece, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. But one of his favorite materials, serpentine (a green and black stone), is indigenous to the western United States. For Brass, the mere act of discovering intriguing stones is a key part of his creative process. But he says it’s the variety of colors and interesting vein patterns that inspire his contemporary pieces.
Whether he is crafting his sculptures from black Italian Portoro marble or milky Colorado alabaster, Brass says his mission is to express the humanity and beauty of life in his forms. “That’s the greatest joy for me,” he says. The sculptor was recently tapped to participate in Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea, one of the largest juried contemporary art shows in the world. The show opens in Florence, Italy, in December. Brass is represented by Breckenridge Gallery, Breckenridge, CO, and www.davidsethbrass.com.
Featured in “Artists to Watch” July 2005