Sculptor creates visions in steel

Warm, inviting forms created from rugged materials

Creating steel works of art with titles like “Regeneration” and “Perennial Life Garden,” Richard Walsh has helped turn a Vernon Hills shopping center into a large gallery.

Walsh is displaying 30 steel sculptures at Westfield Shopping-town Hawthorn through the end of December. But to those who say his pieces are easy to make because they are made of scrap metal, Walsh is quick to correct.

Each sculpture starts with a solid sheet of metal or steel tubing, he said, and then takes hours to cut, heat and bend. “I need it clean and straight to make it my own way,” he said.

Shannon Patinkin, the mall’s specialty leasing manager, visited Walsh’s RAW Steel Sculpture Gallery in Highland Park and proposed the idea to bring Walsh’s work to the mall.

While the shopping center has hosted craft shows, this is the first time shoppers can see an art exhibit of this magnitude, said Nicole Kneeland-Woods, marketing director.

“I like to show off my work, to make things no one has ever seen before,” Walsh said. “I could never own a gallery that big. It was so appealing, so I decided let’s do 30 (pieces).”

A water-garden builder for 15 years, Walsh used artificial stone combined with water to create unique designs. He soon left the artificial stone behind to dabble with steel sculpture.

Walsh did not start small. His first piece was a lotus 11 feet tall. He brought his first piece to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show and received rave reviews.

He still makes large sculptures like 21-foot-long wall hangings outside his Arlington Heights home. But he also makes functional pieces such as tables and chairs. But he does not like to make two pieces that are the same. He said it was difficult to make four benches featuring 8-foot-high backs to sit at Hawthorn. “I need new and different all the time.” he said.
Some pieces take 15 to 20 hours to construct. A steel tree took months to make. Walsh said he can spend 8 to 12 hours at one time heating and bending to make perfect curls of a flower.

“My work has an organic feel. I don’t do straight lines,” he said. What intrigues people about his pieces, Kneeland-Woods said, is their fluidity. He can capture movement and life in his pieces,” she said. “They are warm and inviting. The material he uses is rugged and hard, but he makes them seem warm and intriguing.”

Walsh, taking inspiration from nature when hiking or scuba diving, not only wants shoppers to see his sculptures; he also wants the exhibit to inspire art students. He is sending letters to high school and collegiate art classes inviting them to tour the exhibit, meet him and learn more about his work.

Walsh displays his pieces at art shows and sells to art enthusiasts; he also has taken to donating his pieces to help various charities.
In Lake County, Walsh donated one sculpture to be auctioned by the Lake County CASA program, which speaks up for abused and neglected children in juvenile court. Two more pieces will be auctioned Nov. 6 to benefit Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. The big event, Walsh said, will be seeing every piece displayed at Hawthorn auctioned. Winning bids will be announced at a black-tie event Dec. 2 at the shopping center. Proceeds will benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital. Now through Dec. 2, visitors can pick up a map at the concierge desk and a bid slip to join the silent auction. The price will range from $600 to $40,000. “His pieces are phenomenal,” Kneeland-Woods said. “I will miss them when they are all sold.”

Walsh said visitors will see even more of his work when Santa Claus arrives. Walsh has been asked to make pine trees, snowflakes, snowman and a new throne for Santa this year.

Kneeland-Woods said the center wanted to make the holiday season more exciting. While they could not display a fresh, new holiday décor, they wanted to add modern art. “We wanted to liven it up, give it new life,” she said. “Walsh’s pieces will definitely do that.”

Article by: Abby Scalf / Daily Herald Staff Writer / Monday, October 18, 2004

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