Kurt Klein
United States
Kurt Klein
Artist's Bio
Shortly after receiving an Associate of Arts degree in Graphic and Commercial Art, Kurt Klein started Signature Studio of Creative Services. Signature Studio was dedicated to designing and executing artwork for businesses and institutions that included such work as large scale murals, logo designs, renderings and illustrations, as well as other types of creative projects.
As time passed, Kurt realized that creating artwork at the direction of others was not his true calling. When an opportunity arose, through a call for the commissioning of a fine artist to create a public sculpture, he was encouraged to make a submission by the director of the organization. After some gentle coercing, a submission was made and he was eventually awarded the commission. Kurt's artistic focus changed from that time forward to a passion for creating fine art sculpture.
As a sculptor, Klein gained his skills through self-guided studies, though the concepts and skills learned as a commercial artist are still an integral part of his artistic process. Generally speaking, his images are centered on the human figure and are often visual allegories and metaphors, or have a spiritual significance as their inspiration. Klein defines a visual metaphor as an image where the viewer understands that the literal image of the work also serves as a symbol or commentary for something more. Clues of that deeper meaning can often be found as objects within the artwork that serve as supporting visual elements for the theme.
Although Bronze is very often the medium of choice for sculptors, Kurt enjoys casting his pieces in alternative mediums that lend themselves to strength and fidelity in reproduction, and whose aim it is to always arrive at a unique piece of sculpture that offers more creative possibilities that the traditional bronze. The results are very labor intensive, often requiring hundreds of hours to arrive at the completed piece. No part of the process is contracted out to others. Every aspect from concept to clay model, through to molding, casting, finishing, along with custom base design and creation, is executed completely by the artist's hands.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.