A prolific artist whose career spans more than 60 years, whenever Bruce Beasley (b, 1939, Los Angeles, CA) found that traditional processes of making sculpture were limiting his vision, he adapted, or invented, new fabrication methods in his Oakland, CA studio.  Throughout his career he has been a pioneer, pushing boundaries to allow for complete expression of the artist’s vision. In the 1980s he was one of the first artists to use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to create models for his work, achieving in a few hours what previously could take days or weeks to complete when building maquettes by hand out of wood. One of the processes he adapted in recent years includes the use of Virtual Reality (VR).  VR allows Beasley to sketch freely by moving his hands through the air, capturing his gestures and transforming them into shapes which are captured digitally and may later become the models for new sculptures.

Though his innovations in the field of sculpture have created an enormous impact on the marriage of technology and art, Beasley considers those achievements secondary to the opportunity to expand his vocabulary in his own work.  He continues exploring new ways to express both the head and the heart in three dimensions, sharing what he considers the essence of his work, “the emotional language of shape.”

For more information about this artist please visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/artists/bruce-beasley/.

Bruce Beasley, Arpeggio III, 2005, bronze, 148 x 136 x 63 inches, Courtesy of the Artist, photo: Ken Ek, Bruce Beasley, ‘Dorion’, 1986, stainless steel, 1/2, 240 x 360 x 120 inches, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson Atelier