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Resume of Art Wells Artist's Statement Fine art is food for the soul. I strive to create something nourishing. I want my work to serve a purpose. Long ago I thought, “If I had a nickel for every person that said ‘Ooh… Aah…” while looking at my sculpture I’d be rich.” Now I’ve realized that “Ooh… Aah…” means my sculpture is serving a higher purpose. It is bringing more peace and joy into people’s lives. So many people even ask me, “May I touch it?” Of course, it’s stone, it’s meant to be touched. As an artist, I’ve wanted to set myself apart from the rest of the pack. Sometimes I sculpt in clay for bronzes, but prefer to take my work to the next level. My passion is carving the human figure in stone. Carving a beautiful, convincing human figure in stone is becoming a lost art in America. Most artists will hire craftsmen or a company which uses machines guides by computer technology to carve their pieces in stone. There are only a handful of sculptors left that are willing and able to do the sculpting themselves. I feel honored to be one of them. Besides sculpting realistic portraits and figures in stone, I also love to stretch the boundaries of the traditional, creating more modern, stylized interpretations. Examples of both styles can be found in the various galleries of this web site. Whichever style, my goal is to create sculpture that adds to the fullness of the viewer’s life, making it brighter, stronger and happier.
Biography Art's philosophy regarding art work is, "Fine art is food for the soul, so I strive to create something nourishing." He has devoted the second half of his life to this philosophy through his figurative sculpture which is both realistic and stylized. Other people have recognized this talented artist's passion because his works are held in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., as well as in Paris, France and Toronto, Canada. Art's life size marble Creation of Eve was on exhibit in the Las Vegas Art Museum for 4 consecutive shows. This desire grew out of discovering a new expression for his creativity. Art uncovered this new outlet in 1993 while observing the installation of a piece of sculpture. He was awed at the beauty of a stylized figure carved out of a block of stone. Since then, Art has been sculpting, exhibiting, and selling his artwork in numerous galleries and juried shows throughout the United States. It is that hunger deep inside to create something beautiful, nourishing, and nurturing that compels Art to sculpt on a daily basis. Creativity is within Art's soul, he has always been inspired to create. His first love was music. He started taking drum lessons at eight years old and this love for music grew. In 1974 he was accepted to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating Cum Laude from Berklee in 1978, he moved back to Las Vegas with his wife Virginia. From 1979 through 1993 he worked as a professional musician on the Las Vegas Strip, playing drums for some of the top entertainers in the world.
Changes in Art's life in 1993 led to discovering his new passion, sculpting, and the rest is history. Now, Art is still expressing his desire to create in this new fashion. He and his wife settled in the Dallas area in 2004. Soon after arriving here, Art was asked to become a sculpting instructor at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. In 2005, Art became an artist in residence at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas, and is now the head of the stone sculpture department. At this point in his life Art says, "Figurative stone sculpture is becoming a lost art. There are only a handful of people who are capable of producing beautiful figurative stone sculpture and it is my privilege to be one of them."
Public Art 2007 City of Cool, Texas. Designed and carved 2 signs for the city, each 8 feet by 7 feet by 10 inches thick, texas sandstone. 2007 City of Keller, TX, town hall. One 5 feet tall marble sculpture and one 6 feet tall limestone sculpture. 2002 Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV. Portrait bust sculpted in terra cotta of Steve Cozine, placed at Cozine Elementary School. 2002 City of Las Vegas, NV, Mirabelli Community Center. Mother & child carved from Colorado Yule Marble. This project was made possible in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council. Corporate Work
DFW Audi - Eight feet tall granite sculpture Eric Oberg Sculpture Studio, Calais, VT Freelance Sculptor - various granite monuments/headstones
Architectural Resources, Las Vegas, NV Freelance sculptor working on projects for; Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada Hollywood Casino, Shreveport Louisiana Golf Course Clubhouse, Las Vegas, Nevada Other various sculptures Atlas Marble & Granite, Las Vegas, NV Freelance Sculptor - various stone carving projects Montgomery Watson, Inc., Las Vegas, NV Commission for company headquarters office lobby, design and hand carve marble relief incorporating company logo. Characters Unlimited, Las Vegas, NV Freelance Sculptor - portrait sculpture North American Companies, Las Vegas, NV Freelance Sculptor - various NCAA mascot sculptures Fan Plastic, Inc., Las Vegas, NV Freelance Sculptor - various NCAA mascot sculptures Liz Ann Molds, Inc., Las Vegas, NV Freelance Sculptor - various architectural sculptures EXHIBITS and INSTALLATIONS 2007 Texas State Fair, Dallas, TX. 5 feet tall limestone sculpture. 2006 Texas Sculpture Association exhibit at Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, TX 2nd place for figurative bronze, Awakening of Eve 2005 Texas Sculpture Association exhibit at North Park Mall, Dallas, TX 2005 Creative Arts Center, Dallas, TX-exhibiting various pieces 2004 Latin Images Television Program, Dallas, TX - exhibit and interview 2002 The Desert Sculptors, Clark County Government Center, Las Vegas, NV 1998-2000 Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada 1997 A. M. Nevada Television Program - exhibit and interview 1996 Nevada Council Of The Arts - invited artist 1994 Governor’s Conference On Travel and Tourism, Las Vegas, Nevada - invited artist Juried Shows 2003 SPA Gallery, Conversations in Stone, Barre, VT 2001 Clark County Fine Art Show, Boulder City, Nevada 2000 Sedona Art Walk, Sedona, Arizona 1999 Art From The Heart of the Community, Las Vegas, NV Winner of Best of Show with "Daddy's Little Girl" 1999 Summerlin Celebration of the Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada 1999 Loveland Sculpture Invitational, Loveland, Colorado 1998 La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, California 1998 Loveland Sculpture Invitational, Loveland, Colorado 1998 Summerlin Celebration of theArts, Las Vegas, Nevada 1996 Summerlin Celebration of the Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada 1995 Pueblo Art Festival, Las Vegas, Nevada 1994 Clark County Fine Art Show, Boulder City, Nevada Galleries 2007 Artability, Dallas, Texas 2007 Visual Expressions Gallery, Cedar Hill, TX 2007 Carol Benson Original Art, McKinney, TX 2003-2004 Curtis/Swenson Studios, Stowe, Vermont 2003-2004 Carrara Fine Art Gallery, Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas, Nevada 2001-2004 Markman Gallery, Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada 1996-2004 Carrara Fine Art Gallery, Rainbow Design Center, Las Vegas, Nevada 1998-2004 Randolph’s Art & Framing, Las Vegas, Nevada 1999-2002 Widmen Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada 1998-2001 Las Vegas Art Museum Gift Store, Las Vegas, Nevada 2000-2001 Markman Gallery, Regent Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada 1998-2000 Arrowhead Gallery, Golden, Colorado 1998-1999 Out Of The Woods, Coral Gables, Florida 1997-1998 Lost Trail Gallery, Marble, Colorado 1996-1997 Goldworks By Hagstrom, Las Vegas, Nevada 1995-1997 Gallerie Forrest, Sedona, Arizona 1995 Sapienza Art Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada 1994 Art Encounter, Las Vegas, Nevada
EDUCATION 2006 Creative Arts Center of Dallas - Figurative drawing - Al Kravaanger, Instructor 2002 Scottsdale Artist School - Relief sculpture - Eugene Daub, Instructor 1999 Las Vegas Art Museum - Sculpting a head in clay, Roberta Baskin-Shreffrin, Instructor 1997 Las Vegas Art Museum - Sculpting a head in clay, Sondra Jonson, Instructor 1998 Marble/marble Sculpture Symposium - Madeline Weiner & Scott Owens, Instructors 1997 Marble/marble Sculpture Symposium - Gerald Lynch, Instructor Teacing experience 2005 - present Creative Arts Center, Dallas, Texas Artist in Residence, Head of the Stone Carving Department, Figurative Clay Sculpture Instructor 2003 Aardvark Clay Studio, Las Vegas, Nevada, Taught the following workshops: Sculpting a head in clay Latex mold making Body casting Lecture-demonstration sculpting the torso from a live model 1995-2003 Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada Guest lecturer/demonstrator at various elementary schools 1996-1997 Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevda Substitute art teacher, grades K-12
1997 Art From The Heart Studio, Las Vegas, Nevada Taught workshop, sculpting a head in clay
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