In fact, I didn’t overcome this trepidation until the early 1990s; after I had already acquired three college degrees in Art and had been teaching for about ten years. It wasn’t that I didn’t know where color came from or how to use it. I just felt that it was strongly over-rated, so I ducked the issue and avoided it whenever possible.
It wasn’t until I started studying color with my left-brain and analyzing it in nature that my phobia gave way to fascination. The way color functions in plants and animals to protect, allure, camouflage and communicate. How it appears to be random and sometimes outrageous and yet, there is always a specific purpose and reason behind it. Now, color really became important to the nature of my work. Continue Reading
Gerald Taylor is a decorative concrete expert and will work with collegue Steven Ochs in the Bosch booth at World of Concrete 2012
Two of our guest commentators on bethepro.com are from the world of concrete art. They come to this new field from different (and unusual) paths:
Gerald Taylor
Gerald is a railroad conductor by trade, but an artist at heart. He started his artisan life in his wife’s jewelry store working on everything from gold and silver custom jewelry to personalized gun stocks. Since he’s a dedicated DIYer, Gerald started experimenting with jewelry concepts in other materials, including concrete. The rest is history.
Steven Ochs
Steven is a life-long artisan, which is evident in his work as a full-time art professor at Southern Arkansas University. He’s worked in a variety of mediums and materials, but found a unique home in public art, which has a strong connection to concrete. Although he paints the concrete surface, he’s comfortable with grinder and chisel. If you’re looking to expand into decorative concrete, start with our bethepro.com professionals. Maybe there’s some art education in your future. And look for Gerald Taylor and Steven Ochs in the Bosch booth at World of Concrete, January 24-27.
I got an interesting package today from Arkansas. Concrete artisan Steven Ochs cast a relief of the Bosch founder that will be incorporated in a larger concrete piece next week during the media event at Bosch power tools North America headquarters in Mt. Prospect, IL.
It promises to be an exciting event with 40 journalists from woodworking, construction and concrete fields gathering to talk tools and accessories. And Robert Bosch. Steven Ochs and partner Gerald Taylor will be working through the two-day session to complete the concrete masterpiece, which will be on permanent display in Mt. Prospect. You can find more information about Robert Bosch here.
By Steven Ochs, Professor of Art, Southern Arkansas University
As a professor of art at Southern Arkansas University, I challenge my students to become active members of their communities. When you take your classroom out onto the sidewalks, the students experience the real world, real rewards and the pressure of real consequences. They see their skills making a positive social impact as they build networks and earn trust for future successes. Continue Reading
The big concrete show in Las Vegas brings all kinds of people together, including a tradesman like me and Arkansas concrete artisans the caliber of Steven Ochs and Gerald Taylor, who team as “Images in Concrete.” They created a colorful relief design in the Bosch booth (you can watch them in this video) during the show. This particular two-day effort highlighted the Bosch 125th anniversary and the company’s strong line of concrete tools, blades and other accessories. The pair worked on the project during show hours, even allowing interested booth visitors to make contributions to the piece. Steven and Gerald represent key partners with Joe the Pro and we’ll highlight their work and commentaries about the ever-changing world of concrete art. Look for their “special guest” contributions. You can learn more about their experience at World of Concrete by reading their post at concretedecor.net
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