Wednesday I spent the day in Huntsville — had lunch with a couple of girlfriends, then was off with Wade Wharton and another friend on an incredible tour…maybe we should call it a wonderfully informal ‘open house’ with two of his artist friends (oh I cannot *wait* to show you all that next week!), and then finally we visited Wade’s newest exhibit, at the main branch of the Huntsville Public Library:
He had his gourdwork there, this metalwork, his paintings, his sculptures, his assemblages, wood carvings, you name it…and had the very nicest comments from the public in a notebook that had been provided there at the atrium art gallery.
The exhibit is up through July 31. This is how the the exhibit is described:
We are thrilled to display the work of innovative Huntsville artist Wade Wharton. His artwork is currently on display in the atrium of the Main branch of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library until the end of July.
Wharton “recycles” found objects into artwork. A shovel scoop becomes a flower petal. A transmission flywheel becomes the face of a flower blossom. A Volkswagon fender becomes a man’s leg. Since 1990, he has been transforming the house- interior and surrounding yard- into a showcase for his whimsical artwork: stained glass, paintings, wood carvings, metal works and sculpture made from discarded materials. The 122’ x 112’ yard is a jungle of foliage and art, featuring flowers fashioned from scrap iron and a Japanese-inspired bridge made from trampoline parts.
Wharton points to an accident that severed nerves in his right hand and, he feels, impairs its dexterity. His graceful wood sculpture belies any disability. Wharton began whittling after the accident and now skillfully creates wood carvings and 3-dimensional sculptures, a number of which have mechanical moving parts.
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Wade loves company, and encourages people to come see his art environment around his home there in Huntsville. If you’re interested, email me and I’ll be happy to share his contact information.