Bruce Gray

Posted in Sculptor on May 9, 2010 at 7:40 am

By Bruce Gray: Before moving to Los Angeles, I worked at an advertising agency in Boston as a graphic designer specializing in logo design. After a couple of years I started getting the itch to create my own designs, control my artistic destiny, and do work that was 3 dimensional and permanent. In 1989 I moved to L.A. and investigated having my first design, (the Pyramid Table) fabricated, but it was very expensive, so I bought a welder and taught myself how to use it. This gave me the freedom to totally control the design of my work. I can be spontaneous, or modify works during construction. I no longer have any artistic limitations. I have let my imagination take over.

I create sculptures and functional art in welded steel, stainless steel, brass, copper, and aluminum. The works vary considerably and include swirl grinded bare metal intersecting geometric shapes sculptures, rusty found object assemblages, colorfully painted wall sculptures, mobiles, suspended magnetic sculptures, and powder coated bright colored sculptural tables and chairs. My work is usually fun, colorful, visually stimulating, and often conveys my sense of humor. My found object works may be people, animals, insects, or dinosaurs, and are stylized, simplified, and given their own unique personalities.

I consider myself to be a visual scientist, relentlessly exploring as many forms of artistic expression as I can. Sculpture is not my career, its my life. I am obsessed with creating as many new sculptures as possible.

Apparition (43x96x6) is an abstract modern mixed metals wall sculpture by Los Angeles metal sculptor Bruce Gray. This 8 foot wide large scale sculpture is made up of various shapes of 3/16 inch pieces in steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. This wall mounted sculpture has multiple overlapping levels which create fantastic negative spaces and shadows. It was commissioned for a private residence in 2007.

The giant "Motorcycle #1" sculpture (55"h. 94"L. 33"w) by Los Angeles sculptor Bruce Gray is constructed in heavy industrial steel found objects including 2 very heavy massive railroad equipment gears for wheels, a train coupling link for the seat, giant train springs for shocks, oversized chain, and a BMW R75/5 motorcycle engine and tailpipes. This slightly oversized motorcycle sculpture almost looks ridable, but the engine is non-functional, and this incredible piece of art is meant to be enjoyed visually only. This unique found object motorcycle sculpture looks half retro, and half futuristic, like it was used by "The Terminator," or "Mad Max," or some other very intense post apocalyptic character. The motorcycle sculpture is equally at home indoors or outside, and is currently available for $25,000. Approximate weight of 800 pounds.

"The Big Cheese #4" Standing Sculpture (25x29x43) is constructed in welded aluminum. This version includes many intersecting bubbles of various diameters. This is one of the sculptures in Bruce's series of oversized objects inspired by Claes Oldenburg. It is currently available at $15,000. The "Big Cheese" can be commissioned in any size, and also in steel, stainless steel, or with various patinas. This sculpture appeared on Discovery Channel's "Monster House," and in the season 4 finale of HBO's "Six Feet Under," and is featured in 4 books including The Sculpture Reference Illustrated, and American Art Collector, and Is Modern Art Really Art? What do you think? and also Best of America: Sculpture Artists and Artisans and The Fabricator magazine.

Sculptor Bruce Gray stands next to his giant nearly 6 foot tall glossy red high heel fetish shoe sculpture. This sculpture was fabricated by hand in steel and painted with high quality automotive paints. This unique sculpture is the largest in Bruce's series of high heel shoe sculptures, and is currently available at $25,000. Bruce's shoe sculptures have become world famous, and can be seen in the new film "Raise Your Voice." The giant red shoe sculpture appeared in several episodes of TV's "Charmed" on the WB network, and also in the book Sex Design. (70"x60"x26")

"California Dreamin " (81x50x32) is a motorized kinetic art ball machine sculpture with 2 steel balls that get lifted by a drive chain conveyor system. The balls have 3 tracks to follow that are changed each time by 2 switches, or as I like to call them "gravity operated, magnetically optimized, switching units." One of the switch ideas actually came to me one night in a dream, after several days of trying to come up with a suitable design. Take a look at the quicktime video of this machine. "California Dreamin" is part of the corporate collection at the offices of Mitch Kapor in San Francisco. Click here to see this sculpture at its new home. A similar motorized ball machine can be commissioned for around $15,000 and up.

"Time Warp" Wall Sculpture #16 (35x46x12) is an abstract wall sculpture by California sculptor Bruce Gray. It is constructed of welded aluminum, and painted by hand. The colorfully patterned planes and spheres intersect each other as if the whole sculpture was exempt from the laws of gravity. Several sculptures from this numbered wall sculpture series have been in films and on TV.

"Robot Sculpture 1" (68x34x22) by metal sculptor Bruce Gray is a commissioned sculpture and is constructed primarily out of parts supplied by the client from a 2005 BMW 645CI convertible that was in an accident. (nobody got hurt) Most of these parts are cast aluminum, and I decided that I wanted to attach all parts together using existing brackets and mounting holes. This has the effect of a sculpture that you may not be able to figure out what was originally connected, and what was added and altered to create this sculpture. This robot features a movable head, pivoting (simulated) energy pulse gun with movable joystick/fire button controller, movable upper arrm and a forearm that raises and has a swiveling multi-positionable hand. This is one of my favorite sculptures that I have done! The feet are heavy old steel plates from train tracks. This museum worthy robot sculpture is in a private collection in La Canada. I think I will be building more robot sculptures in the near future. Weight 240 pounds.

"Jimi's Nightmare" (Distorted Guitar #1) (31x13x2) is the first sculpture in Bruce's upcoming series of distorted guitars. This sculpture by sculptor Bruce Gray is a Fender Squire guitar that was cut up and reassembled. This guitar sculpture was made for The Zimmer Children's Museum in Los Angeles and will be featured at "Show & Tell: The Art of Harmony." Bruce states that "I have always found musical instruments to be fascinating, comprised of interesting shapes, and very beautiful to look at. The electric guitar with its curves and sleek glossy finish reminds me of expensive Italian sportscars or a woman's body. This is a perfect subject matter for the artist to transform into their own unique vision. A distorted musical instrument has a surreal quality, and this sculpture is an homage to Picasso's deconstucted instrument paintings and assemblages."

The "Form Table" (front) is constructed in welded aluminum and also available in stainless steel. It forms an elegant sweeping S curve, and supports an odd angled glass top. Bruce's most popular table, the classic Form Table is available at $4200. Base dimensions: (16" x 47" x 27") Glass dimensions: (55" x 42")

The "Angry Dog Table" was the first in Bruce's series of angular geometrically simplified animal tables. This attention grabbing table in bright red powdercoating refuses to go un-noticed! The Angry Dog Table is available in a wide variety of powdercoated colors at $3600, or in brushed aluminum at $4200, and in disk ground stainless steel at $6200.

The "Alligator Table" is all welded aluminum with a striking disk brushed finish. This table is part of the corporate art collection of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (16" x 12" x 59") The Alligator Table is available in powdercoated paint in any color for $4400, or in disk ground aluminum at $5000, or in disk ground stainless steel at $7000.

This is a large kinetic magnetic "Suspension" sculpture by Los Angeles sculptor Bruce Gray. (40x39x16) Those are super high powered industrial rare earth (NdFeB) neodymium iron boron magnets on the ends of the cords, and also on the frame of the circle, to hold the magnets in place by magnetic force alone. This is a 40" tall version and is available at $4000. This sculpture appeared on FOX Channel 11 News, TV show Charmed, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and in the film "Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me."

Contact Info:
Sculpture & Art by Bruce Gray
688 South Avenue 21
Los Angeles, CA. 90031 USA
Website
Email: bruce at brucegray dot com
Phone: 323-223-4059