David Hammock, a self-taught artist from Arab, Alabama, has taken over our Museum Gallery for the months of June and July.
David grew up drawing, but it wasn't until he was a teenager that he learned to work with metal, which led to a career in welding. When he could, David turned back to his artistic roots, fabricating sculptures, and eventually he decided to pursue a career in art. Using both modern and traditional metalworking techniques, David combines found objects to create his whimsical sculpture.
“Carefully sorting through rusty mountains of scrap metal in places an artist shouldn’t belong is how my sculptures come to existence. My art supply store requires a tetanus shot, steel toe boots, and awareness of your surroundings. I love the rush I feel when I find an object of value in a pile of discarded steel, which is the reason I keep coming back for more. Leaving the scrap yard with a truck load of hand selected steel is the beginning of an artistic process full of sparks, fire, heat.”
David's creativity is sometimes driven by a name he thinks of to make him laugh, but sometimes, he finds a piece that sparks an idea.
Unless he's working on a custom piece, David doesn't typically work from a sketch to create his sculptures. Each piece is one of a kind; however, David does have several "chickens" that he recreates, most of which are functional. Take a look at Bar-B-Q Chicken, meant for holding your grill accessories, or Bird Bath, which doubles as an ice bucket! The recurring theme of the chicken is where David came up with the name Clucked Up Metal Art.
In addition to the work we currently have on display, David is known for his larger than life motorcycle sculptures which he and two other artists from California collaborated on in Sturgis, South Dakota. In the area? You can find these sculptures outside of the Full Throttle Saloon.
David also creates mic and guitar stands, among other items, for musicians like Theory of a Deadman, Saul, and Red Sun Rising, to name a few.
David's art is displayed in galleries across the United States, and his work is shipped around the world. His metalwork was featured in Constellation, a movie filmed in Huntsville, Alabama, and he was featured on HGTV in That's Clever. David has won numerous awards from Best of Show to Honorable Mention at many juried art shows and is a longtime Kentuck Festival of Arts artist.
David's Artist Talk:
"Clucked Up Metal Art" is in Kentuck Art Center's Museum Gallery at 503 Main Avenue, Northport, AL. We encourage you to visit to see this work in person! We are currently open limited hours--Monday-Friday, 10-12, 1-4 and Saturday-Sunday, 12-4. Facial coverings required. If you are unable to visit, please peruse the gallery and David's artist talk below.
Catalog:
Museum Gallery
If you are interested in purchasing the artwork in the Museum Gallery, please call (205)-758-1257 before July 30, 2020.
Available:
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