Adam Reeder
Working out of his Folsom studio, sculptor Adam Reeder embraces many facets of the artist’s trade: commissions, shows, teaching art to students of all ages, and constantly evolving his style.
An artist since a young age, Adam grew up in the Los Angeles area, received a Bachelor’s degree in Art from a college in Utah, migrated to San Francisco where he graduated with an MFA in sculpture from Academy of Art University, and finally settled down in Folsom, where he lives with his wife and four children.
He has worked in portraits since 1999 (see his self-portrait at left) and in bronze sculpture since 2000, making a living as a professional artist.
Background
Adam traces his passion for sculpting back to his youth and a life-long yearning for the tactility that sculpting provides. Adam explains, “When I was a child…I loved to tie and untie knots. It was so bad, my Mom made me a knot board…with a bunch of strings on it which I could tie and untie. For some reason, the process of tying and untying knots was soothing on my mind (still is). For me, sculpting provides the same type of mental/tactile challenge. Sculpting is like breathing for me; it is a safe place.”
Though as a kid Adam initially aspired to be a comic artist, by the time he grew up he had his sights set on sculpting. He says, “…I learned from looking at countless books and sculptures I admired. Passion drove me to learn sculpting, then sculpting became my passion.”
Inspiration & style
Drawing inspiration from the world around him, Adam is “particularly interested in the things that shape our world.” Playing on this interest, his Socio-Technic Evolution series features classically-rendered sculptures that, upon further inspection, are not so classic after all. You see a toga-clad man chatting on a cellphone; Atlas bearing the weight of his iPod; a man reclining, presumably exhausted from a long day of video-game playing, the controller just about to fall from his hand. This intertwining of modern culture with classical style is finely executed by Adam’s hand and draws attention to the significant impact technology has on our world.
About his style, Adam says “I would consider my work representational, yet passionate. I really like the gestures and poses of Rodin’s work. I think [it’s] more fluid than many of the Old Masters [and] has the fluidity I feel when watching a ballet dancer move. I seek to bring this to my work; sometimes I succeed.”
Watch Adam sculpt a head from start to finish in this video:
Current works & projects
Although not presently showing his work in the Sacramento area, Adam is keeping busy with plenty of other projects. He is a fan of working on commissions, especially ones where the client acts as a collaborator. The life-size bust Adam is currently working on was commissioned by a man whose father went MIA in Vietnam when the man was just three-years-old. The man commissioned the sculpture so he will be able to touch his father’s face. Stories such as this make Adam exclaim: “How can I not love this job?!”
In addition to commissions, Adam is at work producing two new instructional DVDs—one teaching sculpture to kids, and another in Advanced Figure Sculpting. He already has three instructional DVDs out: Learn To Sculpt The Head and Face in Clay, Beginning Figure Sculpting, and Intermediate Figure Sculpting. If you are interested in learning how to sculpt, all DVDs are available for purchase, but you can also get a more personal experience by attending one of Adam’s classes.
Teaching out of his Folsom studio, Adam instructs students of all ages about the different aspects of art and sculpture. Combining his passion for art with his passion for teaching was a match made in heaven and, last year, Adam launched The Sacramento Art Academy. Right now, the Academy consists of Adam teaching art classes but, he says “…In spirit and direction, it is much more. I hope to grow it over the next year or two into a small school offering traditional and digital art education preparing art students to enter the art workforce.”
Stay tuned for Adam and all his adventures via the links below. And, if you ever find yourself in London, England or Santa Fe, New Mexico, you can find Adam’s work represented there, so track it down!
Keep in touch:
Portfolio
Teaching
Facebook
Educational Materials Website
Sac365 Artist Profile
