Keith Bryant: The Machinations of Sprockets and Wood
February 2-24, 2024
Keith Bryant: The Machinations of Sprockets and Wood
Opening reception: Friday, February 2, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM; and Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Drawing upon my training as a glass blower, wood worker, and bicycle mechanic, I combine skills from seemingly disparate disciplines to create multi-media sculptures out of layered wood, glass, bike parts, family heirlooms, and found objects. Through my art, I seek to make a positive environmental impact by upcycling discarded bicycle parts and other items to give them new purpose and keep them out of landfills. As an avid mountain biker, I spend a lot of time outdoors and draw inspiration from nature. Through my art, I combine my admiration for both the mechanical and natural. In my work, I blend and balance natural and fabricated elements, showing how each has function and beauty both individually and collectively.
Keith Bryant was born near Cleveland, Ohio, and from a young age he had an innate desire to craft and build. Drawn to the sculptural arts, Keith began working with soft glass in high school with a focus on bowls, vases, and other vessels. In addition to taking classes at Kent State University, Keith received training from glass artist Earl James and other artists at the Glass Bubble Project in Cleveland, Ohio. Drawn to other possibilities with glass, Keith expanded his skill set by learning lampworking to create marbles and beads.
In 2004, Keith was drawn to woodworking after he, his sister, and his mother began playing Native American Flutes and joined the Northeast Ohio Native American Flute Circle. Under the tutelage of Billy Crowbeak Faluski, Keith began making handcrafted wooden flutes, primarily using North American hardwoods. As Keith continued to refine the sound of his flutes, he also began making increasingly ornate pieces, burning designs into the wood and incorporating glass inlay, sculptural wood elements, found objects, and his own Pyrex glass work.
Keith began training as a motorcycle mechanic in 2007, graduating with honors from the PowerSport Institute in Cleveland, Ohio in 2008. After working for several years as a motorcycle mechanic, Keith transitioned into working with bicycles, all the while continuing to refine his skills making Native American-style flutes. While working as a bicycle mechanic, Keith noticed the large amount of waste generated from his work on a daily basis, and he began to think of possibilities for giving these materials a new purpose. He began collecting discarded bike components and other materials to see if he could incorporate them into his artwork.
Keith later began combining his areas of training to create mixed-media sculpture from wood, glass, bike parts, family heirlooms, and found objects. Inspired by the forms he would encounter in nature while out mountain biking, Keith often crafts objects depicting plants and animals. Through his chosen media and compositions, he explores the balance of natural and artificial, geometric and organic, and raw and refined. Typically beginning with wood as his base layer, he carefully selects from items organized by material in his workshop to build his pieces. His process of crafting layered sculpture is fluid and iterative, and involves removing layers through wood burning in addition to building on top of the wooden base layer.
Keith currently resides in Knoxville, Tennessee. Drawn to supporting sustainability efforts in his community, Keith works with local bike shops and carpenters to collect waste materials for his art and keep them out of landfills. Through his artwork, he enjoys showing others how items can be upcycled and repurposed.
Instagram @kwbryantart