Frequently Asked Interview Questions and Answers of American Metal Sculptor and Artist Bruce Gray

0. When and where were you born?
In a faraway land called Orange, New Jersey in 1956.
1. What artists inspire you?
David Smith, Frank Stella, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso,
Salvador Dali, Wassily Kandinsky, Keith Haring, Jean Tinguely, and Claes Oldenburg.
2. When did you become an artist?
I have been interested in creative expression in one form or another since I was a small child. When I was young I loved to draw, paint, and build things. I never took any courses in art in high school, but did enjoy all the wood shop and drafting classes that I took, and I also loved photography. I built a completely handmade electric guitar as a senior wood shop project. I got into silkscreening at about the age of 12, and made lots of fun T shirts for many years. After high school I joined the Coast Guard, and learned scrimshaw, and got even more interested in photography. Near the end of my 4 year enlistment, I decided to try to get in to an art school back home in Massachusetts. I applied to the University of Massachusetts, but was told I would need to submit an art portfolio. I didn't have one, so I drew a few pencil drawings and sent them in. They were not very good, and were done in a few hours. My portfolio was rejected. A few months later, I got a notice that if I met with the Dean of the design school and did some drawings for him, that I might be considered for admission. I met him and did a couple of drawings. I was not feeling very confident in my abilities, and nearly walked out. However the Dean said that I had promise, and I was let in on a probationary basis, meaning that I had to keep a B average to stay. I had just spent 4 very long but beneficial years in the military to get my college paid for, and my years of being a slacker in school were over. I worked very hard in college and loved every minute of it. I often did extra examples for school projects. I majored in Design and got a BFA in Design after 4 years. I also studied drawing, photography, art history, sculpture, typography, illustration, jewelry making, etc. When I graduated in 1983, I moved to Boston and got jobs in photography and advertising. Then after about 5 years, I felt like I was not living up to my creative potential, and wanted to create my own ideas somehow. This point was amplified by the sudden death of my mother. I realized that life is short, and there are no guarantees for tomorrow. One day at work, it dawned on me that I should search further for my lifes calling, and I quit on the spot. (I found that this is how you get offered a raise) Later I decided to drive to North Carolina to do some windsurfing and think about what to do next. I didn't find my answer after a few days, and ended up driving all the way to Mexico City before I reached any conclusion. I then drove back to Massachusetts, and packed up my car and moved to Los Angeles in January 1989 to become some sort of artist. I struggled hard at first, working only in wood. Most of my ideas lent themselves to steel rather than wood however, so I bought a welder and taught myself how to use it. That is how I got started as a sculptor. (Click here for page of paintings starting at age 8)
3. What inspires you?
I find that I can be inspired by almost anything.....museum or art gallery shows, architecture, cool shapes, other artists, nature, pop culture, TV, animals, friends, music, things I see while scuba diving, etc. The key is to look at all things, even the most common or uninteresting, as a potential source of inspiration. (Examples of this: My Big Cheese sculpture, or metal insect sculptures.) Take the time to really appreciate interesting visual stimuli that you come across in your lifes travels. Learn to observe and think more visually.
4. What motivates you?
I am very motivated by the desire to create as many interesting art forms as possible. I LOVE making sculptures, and I love to have lots of them around me at my studio. I enjoy seeing how my art affects people in positive ways. It is rewarding to see people smile, laugh, stare in astonishment, or plead with you to demonstate kinetic sculptures again and again. It is also great to get comments from your collectors on how much they enjoy having the sculpture at their home or office. My current ambition is to get my work in as many modern art museum's permanent collections as I can. I am also very interested in doing much larger sculptures for public places.
5. What advise can you give to beginning artists?
First decide what you want to accomplish with art. Do you want to create art because you are driven to do it, and don't care about making a living from it? Do you want to make a living by selling your creations? If you want to be a famous and prosperous artist, you should be ready to work extremely hard, and be willing to make many sacrifices for many years to do so. Do you want to make your art full time, or will you have a "regular" job and do art on the side? Due to the serious level of difficulty in making a living as a sculptor, I would strongly suggest that you find another primary source of income, especially at first. If you are still in school, you should try to learn things that will help your art career, such as taking a course in marketing, advertising, photography, acccounting, website design, wood shop, metal shop, drafting, art class, etc, that will make running your own business much cheaper and easier. If you are thinking of going to college for art, you will be expected to have a decent portfolio, so try to take as many art related courses as you can. (I never took any art classes in high school, which I have always regreted.) The reality is that it is very hard to make a living as an artist, and you should know that most artists do have a regular job to pay the bills. You have to be able to deal with living hand to mouth with a huge amout of uncertainty as to where your next job or check will come from. It can be done however if you have talent, a lot of drive and a lot of self motivation. It is also one of the most rewarding things you can do with your life. You should also be willing to relocate to a city that is a major center in the art world, like Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Paris, etc. Make sure to experiment in lots of artistic ways, and see what ends up being the most satisfying form of expression for you. Do what you feel passion for, and take any criticism or suggestions as only one persons opinion- possibly having merit, and also quite possibly having no merit at all. The key is PASSION! It shows in your work. BUY A CAMERA!!! No artist, sculptor, designer, or art student should be without a camera. Even if you have to buy a real cheap one to start. Photograph all your work, and also interesting places and people and things that you find inspiring. Learn how to look at things from different angles. (Living as an artist is often an unpredicible life, but in my opinion it is very well worth it.)
6. Did your upbringing influence your work?
Yes, I moved around every year or two as a child, and I found that drawing and such were great ways to pass the time when you are moving around, or are the new kid in town and don't have friends yet. My mother encouraged my creativity as a child by giving me art supplies and lots of construction related toys like lego, erector sets, blocks, and woodworking tools.
7. What is there to gain by making sculptures?
There are few things as rewarding as being able to come up with an idea in your head, and then having the object exist in front of you in a few days (or months). It is also very gratifying to have people want to showcase your work in their home or business, and pay good money to do so. Sculptures can change peoples moods or make them think about a certain topic or emotion that you want to bring to their attention.
8. Why are you so passionate about sculpture?
I suppose it is because I am a very visual person. I love beautiful or interesting shapes, textures, and objects, and it is great to be able to make them myself. There are many of my sculptures that I have a hard time letting go of when they sell. If I didn't need the money, I would keep many of them for myself. At the age of 45, (2001) I discovered that I am dyslexic. The interesting fact is that dylexia is considered more of an asset than a handicap when it comes to sculptors and other people that work in 3 dimensions or abstract concepts. This fact is very interesting to me, and I plan on learning more about this connection. Some of my favorite artists that were dyslexic include Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Robert Rauchenberg, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and August Rodin. People with dyslexia are found to be exceptional creative and abstract thinkers, having the ability to see "the big picture." Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and the Wright brothers had dyslexia as well. I feel that I should have started being a sculptor at a much younger age than I did, and now I am trying to make up for lost time.
9. What do you love about life, and what do you hate?
My greatest loves are my circle of best friends, music, art, nature, and the fact that you can really accomplish anything if you work hard enough for it. The things I hate the most are mean people, pollution, intolerance, mistreatment of the earth and animals, war.
10. What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future?
I am currently finishing a few recent commissions, and I want to make some more kinetic sculptures soon incorporating wind and water. I plan on experimenting in many new areas of creative expression including music, animation, and film. I have also been doing several different styles of abstract modern paintings with acrylics and oil pastels. Painting is much more relaxing than the aggressive sport of metal fabrication.
11. What are your goals for the future?
I am mostly interested in getting my sculptures into as many major art museums as possible, preferably in their permanent collection or for a solo show. I am very interested in getting my work into the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art here in Los Angeles. I also dream of the day that I can purchase several acres of land and design my own home with a huge sculpture studio attached, and a masssive outdoor sculpture garden. I am also very interested in doing much larger sculptures for outdoor public places. My other goal is to collaborate on projects with some of my favorite living architects, like Frank O. Gehry, Thom Mayne, or Bart Prince.
12. When did you make your first sculpture?
I think I was in about 7th grade. I made a small colored plexiglas sculpture that I have a photo of someplace. I started with drawing and painting at a much younger age.
13. What mediums do you work in and why?
I mostly work in metal because of its strength, durability and availability of a vast variety of ways you can get it, ie: tubes, rods, spheres etc. All these elements can be attached by a simple weld. I like other mediums as well including wood, and also painting, but metal is currently my favorite. I feel there are less limitations in what you can do with the material, for most of the styles of work that I like to create.
14. Are there other members of your family who are artists?
My brother Eric is a talented drummer, excellent chef, and is getting very into photography now. He recently shot some photos of me working. My father Robert has done a few drawings and paintings. See his painting here.
15. What obstacles do you face in making and exhibiting your work?
First, the obstacles in making work are having the money for the project, (especially larger and time consuming works) and the tools needed to accomplish construction. There can also be physical recovery time needed after building a large heavy sculpture.
Second, exhibiting work is difficult because the sculptures are mostly large and heavy and very hard physical work to transport and set up. Finding new venues for exhibiting is just a matter of dedicating time and effort to research. I do not spend enough time in this area because I would rather be building new sculptures. I have heard that you should be spending about 80% of your time on marketing, and 20% on creating new art. I think this is good advise, however I am probably doing the reverse.
If you are an artist just starting out, you must search for art galleries that would carry your kind of work, and make an appointment with them, or arrange to send them slides of your work. Art gallery owners usually do not like artists to show up with their portfolio without an appointment. They will most likely want you to send a sheet of 10-20 slides first, so they can see if your work fits with the theme or style of their gallery. It is not uncommon for an art gallery to be booked ahead for a year or more. You should have a fairly substantial portfolio before you approach a gallery. Try to photograph everything you make.
16. What are your favorite sculptures you have made?
The giant Motorcycle sculpture is one of my favorites. Click here to see my "Top Ten List."
17. What is your average day like?
I have a live in artist studio, so I have no commute to deal with. I get up at anywhere from 6-9 am, put on some tunes, drink a soda, check my email, then get right into welding or working on a current project. Some days I spend just dealing with miscellaneous business stuff like marketing, advertising, photography, taxes, preparing and sending out requested photo packages, cleaning the studio, taking care of my sculpture garden, etc. Being a sculptor is kind of like having unsupervised shop class almost every day for the rest of your life.
18. What do you like doing when you are not making sculptures?
Most favorite thing to be doing is hanging out with my best friends. Barbeques and beer, parties, windsurfing, sailing to Catalina, scuba diving, snorkeling, photography, mountain biking, driving my sportscar (944) down a curvy road with a beautiful scenic background, etc.
19. What other forms of creativity do you like, other than sculpture?
Music, Architecture, Films, Painting, Performance Art, Interior Design, Sports Cars, Photography.
20. Any other advise for artists trying to get established?
You have to get your work in front of as large of an audience as possible. Postcards are a cheap and easy way to get started. Credit cards can be the only loans available to the small businessman, so unless you can get a business loan (which basically means owning real estate) you will probably have to rely on the use of credit cards for aquiring the essentials like a computer (Artists prefer Macs) etc. Use them only when you really need to, and pay them off ASAP!
21. How did you learn to weld?
I didn't go to one of those fancy Beverly Hills welding schools or anything. I just bought a welder and learned by trial and error, and also by asking questions at the welding supply store.
22. Where do you get your metal from?
I get all my metal from my good friends over at Industrial Metal Supply, in Sunland, CA. Great people, great selection, and free delivery. Almost every artist I know gets their metal from these guys. I just got a large commission to do several sculptures for their new larger store location.
Click here to visit their website,
23. What is your favorite color?
Red, then blue next.
24. Why do you make giant high heel shoe sculptures?
I get a lot of questions about this. There are several reasons.
a. They are part of my series of giant oversized objects including swiss cheese wedges, keys, insects, cats, dogs, guitars, etc. The thing all these things have in common is that they are interesting shapes. Look beyond what the items function is, and just look at the interesting shapes they are comprised of. These items become even more interesting using exaggerated size, stylization, or altered proportions.
b. They have huge following in the world of collectables and high fashion, and inspire a passion in many people that can only be described as fetishistic. My shoe sculptures have received more press than any other sculptures or paintings that I have done so far. See press clippings here.
c. I personally think they are very attractive.
d. They sell.
25. What would be the ideal sculptors studio?
I get a lot of questions about this from architecture students who are assigned to design a sculptors studio.
Here is my studio wish list.
1. ground floor- for materials delivery, and large sculpture issues etc.
2. concrete floor- for welding and fire issues
3. skylights- for free lighting during day
4. large rollup door
5. overhead powered mini crane system for moving stuff around
6. separate office- dust free and a/c
7. separate living area
8. fenced in yard with garden to display outdoor sculptures
9. large workshop with good ventilation and windows, also second bathroom in shop with sink and toilet only
10. large sculpture display room
11. enclosed dust free built in photo "cove" to be able to leave lights etc in place
12. darkroom
13. lots of power outlets and 220 for shop
14. outdoor "party" deck on roof with grill and chairs etc.
15. well insulated for temperature and also noise
16. flourescent overhead lights, and spotlights on tracks for display room
17. easy access driveway for metal delivery trucks
18. parking for lots of visitors
Thats about it, except for a nice view.
26. Can I visit your studio?
Yes, but by appointment only, PLEASE!
Do not just show up at my studio without contacting me first. I am very busy, and not always available to show you my studio, or look at your portfolio, and I am not hiring any employees at this point.
27. What is your favorite experience as an artist?
One of the things I have enjoyed the most was being asked to display a sculpture at the renowned TED (Technology Entertainment Design) Conferences. What an incredible and inspiring experience to be included at an event featuring many of the greatest minds and talents in the world. I even got to play drums with Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead. I have a web page of photos, details and links to TED here.
28. What is your inspiration for your "Raindrops" and "Spots" series of abstract paintings?
I have been getting lots of questions about these paintings lately, so here is the scoop. I actually started doing the paintings because my hands get numb when I do too much metal grinding on my sculptures, and I wanted to do something else creative that was less taxing on my body, when I needed a break. Both those styles of paintings involve overlapping circles, and I am very focused on the relationship of the colors next to each other. In the "Spots" series I am also paying a lot of attention to the negative spaces. I also enjoy the dramatic vibrating optical illusion effect that is created by my use of opposite colors next to each other. I love the use of bright colors which can add an uplifting sort of energy to a room and to the viewer. The "Raindrops" series is loosely based on the look of a puddle of water with multiple drops of rain landing all over it creating lots of rippling concentric circles. I really like having these paintings in my studio, and never get tired of looking at them, which is also a major motivation in creating them. I tend to make things that I want to have and enjoy myself, more than making things that I just want to sell. I always paint with music in the background too. Everything from the latest from Green Day to classics from Miles Davis and Fela Kuti.
29. Why do you use circles so frequently in your work, especially in the paintings?
I have used circles many times in my work over the years. I have always been fascinated by circles, and to me they represent the most basic and interesting of geometric elements. They are the shapes of our planet, our sun, and many of the most important elements in our universe. They also are a continuous neverending line representing timelessness and continuity. I also just enjoy the way they look when they are overlapped in my paintings. As a student I was lucky to get by with C's in math, but I got all A's in geometry. This may have something to do with my being dyslexic, but geometry was alway interesting to me.
30. Who is your typical client that purchases your sculptures?
I sell a lot of work to doctors, lawyers, architects, designers, artists, and people in the film and television industry. The corporate commissions are a more diverse group.
31. How have you been so successful with marketing and selling your art on the internet?
This is a complicated answer. I did an extensive interview with Seth Roberts, New York Times bestselling author for an article titled Web Savvy Sculptor. My interview on successful web marketing can be read on Seth's blog here.
32. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
Three brothers.
33. What did your parents do for a living?
My father used to work in International banking for Singer Sewing Machine Co and then International Paper. My mother used to work at Bloomingdales and then got into real estate. They met in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) when my father was a banker, and my mother was the secretary to the ambassador to Ceylon. They got divorced when I was in 6th grade, and I rarely saw my father after that. Both parents are deceased.
34. Where have you lived?
I was born in Orange, New Jersey and lived in Madison, NJ until first grade. Then our family moved to Brussels, Belgium for a couple of years. After that, we moved back to NJ, until right before I started high school. We moved to Bridgewater, Massachusetts where I lived for my 4 years of high school. Right after graduation I went to boot camp for the United States Coast Guard, at Cape May, NJ. Then I went to electronics school and Loran A school at Governors Island, New York. After graduating, I was shipped off to a year of isolated duty at a Loran station at Cape Sarichef, on Unimak Island, which is in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. Then I got stationed at another Loran station at Jupiter, Florida for 2 years. When my 4 year enlistment was up, I moved back to Massachusetts to go to college at The University of Massachusetts, in North Dartmouth. During college, I lived in Fall River, New Bedford, and North Dartmouth. As soon as I graduated college, I moved up to Boston, where I lived near Fenway Park for 5 years. I moved to Los Angeles in January 1989, where I have lived ever since. I currently live in a warehouse at The Brewery Artist Community in downtown LA.
35. What other types of jobs have you had?
In 6th grade I started caddying at the golf course up the street. In high school I worked at an apartment complex cutting lawns and shoveling snow and such. I also worked at the town library doing odd jobs and putting books away. Then 4 years of the US Coast Guard working as an electronics technician maintaining and operating Loran equipment. (Loran was the predecessor of GPS.) I also stood radio watch, transmitted messages, and gave weather broadcasts. During college I spent 2 years in the National Guard, and also worked as a cook and dishwasher at 2 restaurants. I also silkscreened T shirts and did scrimshaw for sale. After college my first job was at Filenes basement in Boston, moving boxes around and other crap work mostly. That was only a couple of months, and then I got a job at a commercial photography studio where I did darkroom work, black and white printing, retouching and commercial photography for about a year or so. Then I got a job at an advertising agency in Boston for around 3 years or so, where I did logo design, illustration, pasted up movie and recruitment ads and such. I also had a brief job selling cars at a Ferarri dealership. That was my last "job" before I moved to Los Angeles and started making my art in 1989, which I have been doing ever since.
36. What style of art would you classify your work?
Since I do a lot of different types of work, it could be classified into several catagories including: kinetic art, abstract art, deconstructivist, assembladges, modern art, musical sculpture, figurative sculpture, geometric sculpture, and more.

NOTE: I receive a LOT of emails every day from art students around the world, and I answer all of them. Please don't ask me a list of a dozen questions that will take me hours to respond to. I feel like I am doing your homework for you, not to mention, I am way too busy. I will gladly answer 1 or 2 questions, but I am not going to do your assignment for you.