Bill Reid, Racine
2014–15 RAM Artist Fellowship Award Recipient
Artist-in-residence at The Prairie School in Racine, WI, Bill Reid is recognized internationally as “one of the leading fabulists in a fabulousy world.” He has been making painted steel sculpture for over 30 years. An attendee of the Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, OK, Reid has his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, MO, and his MA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, MI. Reid’s lively and animated work has been featured on television programs, including Milwaukee Public Television’s The Arts Page, and in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His work is included in private and public collections such as the Cornell Institute of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, and the Racine Art Museum.
Artist Statement
My process of working is elemental; using only a few hand tools and the heat of an oxyacetylene torch, I build my creatures out of thin sheets of metal and steel rods. Even as a young boy, I was drawn to the siren call of fire. Like a detective, I turn on the heat until the steel talks. After construction, the painting process brings the work to life. Painting has become an increasingly important aspect of the work. My sculptures are built around stories and word-play.
Often, the works become moving experiences with the addition of mechanical movement activated by turning wheels or hand cranks. Some beasts become working attendants who can serve you in your bathroom or kitchen and others become messengers of light. My most ambitious work to date is a highway legal vehicle I call the Bee Bomb. Formerly a Ford Escort, I fully reconstructed it into a bumblebee-suited convertible.
Like the dodo bird of long ago, I have come to represent things that do not exist. My sculptures require us to erase our perception of what is, and ask ourselves what could Bee?
Bill Reid, Racine
2014–15 RAM Artist Fellowship Award Recipient
Artist-in-residence at The Prairie School in Racine, WI, Bill Reid is recognized internationally as “one of the leading fabulists in a fabulousy world.” He has been making painted steel sculpture for over 30 years. An attendee of the Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, OK, Reid has his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, MO, and his MA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, MI. Reid’s lively and animated work has been featured on television programs, including Milwaukee Public Television’s The Arts Page, and in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His work is included in private and public collections such as the Cornell Institute of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, and the Racine Art Museum.
Artist Statement
My process of working is elemental; using only a few hand tools and the heat of an oxyacetylene torch, I build my creatures out of thin sheets of metal and steel rods. Even as a young boy, I was drawn to the siren call of fire. Like a detective, I turn on the heat until the steel talks. After construction, the painting process brings the work to life. Painting has become an increasingly important aspect of the work. My sculptures are built around stories and word-play.
Often, the works become moving experiences with the addition of mechanical movement activated by turning wheels or hand cranks. Some beasts become working attendants who can serve you in your bathroom or kitchen and others become messengers of light. My most ambitious work to date is a highway legal vehicle I call the Bee Bomb. Formerly a Ford Escort, I fully reconstructed it into a bumblebee-suited convertible.
Like the dodo bird of long ago, I have come to represent things that do not exist. My sculptures require us to erase our perception of what is, and ask ourselves what could Bee?
Interview with the Artist, January 2015
Would you please describe your work—what materials you use; what subject matters you explore?
In general, I make sculpture using steel sheet metal and rods with a few hand tools and an oxyacetylene torch. The pieces are painted using a primer, and then, latex enamel paint. There is an affinity with words and the goofiness of the English language. Pi pie pirates, pileated pianos, etc. How does this come about?
How often are you in your studio? Do you work outside of your studio much or at all?
I go into the studio pretty much every day of the year—most of the time I get Christmas off. The studio at The Prairie School is where I do most of my work. There is also a studio at home where I do painting.
What inspires you most these days? But also what do you go to bed thinking about most nights?
Inspiration––weight of time, weighting rooms, the miracle of birds, and other animals despite the persistence of hammers.
Probably the most asked question I get is “what are your dreams like?” Actually, in general, I get a sound sleep and dream in line with most. Sometimes I will be half-sleeping, and work out a sculpture situation, gnawing at words or ideas like a dog would a bone, twisting things around and looking differently at it until it comes together.
Sample of Work
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