The Middleboro metal sculptor who wants his pieces to ‘look as luscious as possible’
MIDDLEBORO — ”People who weld for a living look at what I do, and they’re like, ‘You’re nuts,’” metal sculptor Rob Lorenson told the Globe during a studio visit last week.
His monumental pieces are close to 18 feet tall or 16 feet in diameter. One required more than a mile of welding. The artist has graceful abstract sculptures in public and private collections across the country, some glistening stainless steel, others brightly painted aluminum, all seemingly frozen in motion. He has public art on view in Concord, N.H., and Providence.
Lorenson welds cut metal plates together to create volume.
“I’m building all of these things about solidity,” he said. “But they’re all really hollow. It’s like theater.”
How he started: When Lorenson was pursuing his master’s degree at Northern Illinois University in the 1990s, he worked as a studio assistant for sculptor Bruce White.
“Bruce was my graduate supervisor. But working in his studio was actually more instructive,” he said. “Going out and installing big pieces on site and seeing how the whole thing took place. Meeting dealers. It was like, ‘Oh, this is how it all works.’”
What he makes: The shapes — circles and spheres, Xs and arcs — create totems or a sense of fluidity. “It’s not about what it is, but the so many things that it could be,” Lorenson said. “That propels the viewer into another place.”
He built and painted hot rods when he was young. Painting sculptures is not so different.
“I paint these things just like I used to paint cars, and make them look as luscious as possible,” he said. “It looks like it just dripped out of a syrup jar.”
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