Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxwell Rasor.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been sculpting as long as I can remember. My father was a wire sculptor and an art teacher, and I grew up in a house filled with artwork. My mother was a hairdresser and a sculptor in her own way. I’ve spent the better part of my life carrying around wire and pliers and making things I see or things I like. I hadn’t thought of it as a profession as much as a part of my life until someone asked to purchase some items I had made and were on display at a bicycle shop where I was working. After that, I really started pursuing venues to sell my artwork. Less for the money but more for wallspace and being able to share the things I make. I love sharing my artwork and seeing it out in the wild. I create at least one thing a day, and I’m sure you can imagine what it’s like trying to store upwards of 365, 3-dimensional pieces of artwork every year. They don’t stack like drawings, paintings, or photographs. Now I participate in as many art markets and shows as I can, and I always have artwork on display at La Bodega Rotisserie in bishop arts, whose owner I have known since kindergarten and is kind enough to lend me her walls. Since it is a take-out restaurant in a popular neighborhood, there is always a rotating group of people killing 10-15 minutes milling around, and her walls are the perfect venue for that. I also make wooden automata and other kinetic artwork, but those items are more difficult to transport, so I try to get those into as many shows as I can.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For the most part, my struggle has really just been finding venues that are willing to display larger and more unique items. COVID killed the outdoor markets for a few years, so that was quite a complication, but it has come back in a great way. I think once you realise you are missing something, you really learn to appreciate what fills that hole. Other than that, my wife and I have had 2 children in the last 6 years, and a two and a six-year-old can really fill a lot of time that you might usually have to make stuff. Their little imaginations and opinions are great inspiration though, so I’d say that it’s a give and take
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My preferred medium is wire. I make 3-dimensional sculptures of animals, people, and other random inanimate objects I like. I tend to use steel baling wire, which is the stuff they use to bale hay or tie rebar before they pour concrete. I use other metals as well, but steel is extremely malleable and strong, which is a good mixture for my application. I also make kinetic art that uses weights or motors to move. Think running horses, clock mechanisms, or very large kaleidoscopes. Those are usually made out of wood or acrylic if I have it lying around. Almost everything I make is made of recycled materials. The amount of waste that is produced in the world really bums me out, and being able to make something beautiful or just cool out of something that would end up in a landfill makes me feel a little better about that. It’s also important for me to show my children and anyone who cares to see that things don’t disappear after you throw them away–they really just stick around, and if you reuse something, you can really put a timeline on just how long.
Any big plans?
We moved back to Dallas just before we had our second child, and babies really eat up a lot of playtime. My daughter starts school next year, and I look forward to the time that I can really apply myself to making large, outdoor sculptures. Although I will miss the pitter patter.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasor_made
