If you are curious about how metal is forged into art pieces, be sure to drop by the Oceanside Village Artists' Gallery April 12 and see a couple of artists in action.
David Kasprick can usually be found at his Nanoose Bay studio the Red Cod Forge where he recycles steel to create abstract and free-form sculptures.
On Saturday he will be setting up his portable forge in front of the Resort Drive gallery in Parksville demonstrating his amazing talents and creating a piece from start to finish.
“I am going to be forging all day. The sculpture will be free form and at the end of the day someone will win it,” said Kasprick.
Anybody making any purchase Saturday at the gallery however, big or small, will automatically be entered into the draw for the creation.
As an added bonus, Kasprick said renowned pastel artist Dan Gray will be capturing the event on canvas.
“Dan is going to paint me forging which is crazy … it will add to the creative vibe that day.”
The Errington artist’s pastels are impressions of the moment and Gray always paints from live models, and always “en plein air” … a French expression which means “in the open air”
Kasprick has been creating some large outdoor pieces in his studio that will be placed around the Oceanside Village Resort.
“I am making a kelp sculpture for the resort that will be attached to a gazebo near the office. I have a whimsical bull rush sculpture about nine feet tall that will go in one of the gardens and a maple tree about eight feet tall,” he described.
The big outdoor pieces are for sale but there will also be some of Kasprick’s smaller wire sculptures in the gallery.
Kasprick has been twisting discarded wire into art forms for about four years now.
He recently returned from a five week trip to Mexico where he said he spent a lot of time making art from junk.
When Kasprick wasn’t exploring the Mayan ruin sites or swimming in tidal pools he was on the beach sculpting with discarded wire he scrounged from dilapidated buildings sites and ramshackle junk piles.
The eye catching figures were admired by the locals and appreciated by some famous tourists who were hanging out in the area.
In fact on his recent trip he gave Cooker John one of his sculptures after the Minnesota folk/blues musician saw Kasprick working on the piece at the beach in Puerto Morelos Mexico.
“I was excited that he was in town so I did one of Cooker sitting on his bench playing an acoustic guitar. He saw me on the beach that day sculpting with wire and he came over and I showed him the piece. He loved it and I gave it to him.”
Everywhere Kasprick vacations he sculpts with wire on the beach capturing ordinary moments in life.
The extraordinary wire forms include sea creatures and animals as well as people in motion.
“I sold one of a dancing girl to a ballet instructor from Wisconsin. She came over and said she had to buy it.”
He said people around these parts know that he is a metal forger but not too many are aware of his wire art and he hopes his coiled masterpieces will inspire others to take up the art form.
“Wire art is like drawing three dimensionally. Anyone can do it because you don’t need a lot of equipment. I hope what I do opens the door for other people.”