Steve aka Shig Shigley

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EXPERIENCE

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Artist/Metal Fabricator 2010-present

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● Create abstract metal sculptures for display in local establishments and

   Galleries

 

● Design and build custom art pieces, gates, arbors, furniture for clients

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● Collaborate with gallery owners in creating custom, commissioned metal

   sculptures

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● Fabricate and install large scale public art sculptures for music and art festivals

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

● April Wong, “For One Weekend a Year a Tiny Town on the Salton Sea Becomes

   a Mecca for Artists and Partiers”, LA Magazine, March 2019

 

● Stephanie Rafanelli, “Don’t Call It a Festival”, C Magazine, July 2018

 

● Steven Biller, “Can Artists Save the Salton Sea”, Palm Springs Life, July 2, 2018

 

● Rory Carroll, “In a Forgotten Town by the Salton Sea Newcomers Build

   Bohemian Dream”, The Guardian, April 23, 2018 ● Angela Romero, “S. Shigley.

  Art, Tesseract and No Rules”, Coachella Valley Weekly, March-April 2018, Vol. 7

  #2

 

● Elizabeth Jardina, “Before and After: Palm Springs Party Pad Becomes a Slick

   Retreat”, Sunset Magazine, Nov. 2017

 

● Benjamin Goulet, “I Put a Spell on You”, Luna Arcana, Spring/Summer 2017

   Issue 2 ● Site Staff/ Social Scene, “Colin Fisher Studios Opens Modern Mania Art

  Opening”, Palm Springs Life, Feb. 24, 2016

 

● Lisa Marie Hart, “Into The Woods”, Palm Springs Life, Dec. 31, 2015

● Site Staff, “Colin Fisher Engages the Valley’s Art Scene With a Two Artist Show

   on Display through March 15, 2014”, Palm Springs Life, March 4, 2014

 

● Leslie Shaw, “More Venues Means More Art”, Hi-Desert Star, Oct. 13, 2012

       

● Group Exhibition: “Bold and Bright”, 2018 Palm Springs Juried Art Show

    Exhibitions

 

● Group Exhibition: “Sculpture in the Garden”, (juried) San Diego Botanical

   Gardens

 

● Group Exhibition: “Sensual Assault”, Ranch of the Rising Sun, Joshua Tree, CA

● Group Exhibition: “Modern Mania”, Colin Fisher Studios, Cathedral City, CA

● Solo Exhibition: “Shig”, Taylor Junction Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA

● Two-Person Exhibition: “A Two-Man Expedition Into the World of Art”, (with

   artist Crystofer Shoemaker) Colin Fisher Studios, Cathedral City, CA NOTABLE

   ACHIEVEMENTS

 

● Accepted to attend the artist-in-residence program at the Chateau

   d’Orquevaux in Paris, France in Summer of 2020

 

● Second Place award in 2018 Palm Springs Juried Art Show (Bold and Bright)

● Commissioned to create numerous large-scale public sculptures, Including

   what is believed to be the world’s largest freestanding steel Tesseract for the

   2018 and 2019 Bombay Beach Biennale

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STATEMENT

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As a metal sculptor and abstractionist, I am continuously challenging myself (and hopefully my audience) to look beyond the traditional constraints of form, composition, and space into a deeper world of possibilities. I believe taking risks and maintaining an unflinching attitude is essential for my growth as an artist and I have a strong urge to defy boundaries and convention. With my newer designs and direction, I am taking a much more minimalistic approach, experimenting with the use of geometric angles, light, reflection, shadows and even more recently kinetic sculpture. I enjoy exploring the relationship between inorganic materials and shapes against organic neighboring environments. Abstract art, after all, is not supposed to depict an accurate visual reality but instead uses bold shapes, colors, and forms to achieve its effect. With some of my recent work and evolution working on larger scales, I strive to create pieces that invite my audience into them, allowing them to interact with the art, not only on emotional and spiritual levels but physical as well. I enjoy the idea of challenging participants to engage with the work closely and find their own perception of it and hope that each viewer’s experience will be entirely unique and personal. I like to think my work has a timeless aesthetic that will not only stand the test of time as artistic statements but physically as well. Each piece that I create is structured from materials and processes that ensure decades of enjoyment and even heirloom potential. As I’m always evolving with my craft, It’s very important for me to continue to explore new techniques, materials, and ideas to create pieces of work that bring me the personal satisfaction I need as an artist. After that, it can release these creations into the world for even one other person to enjoy and connect with, then I have succeeded. The medium I have immersed myself in presents endless possibilities in that exploration, and I feel I am still just scratching the surface.

 

BIO

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S Shigley (b. 1974) in Rockford, IL is a self-taught, emerging artist who is best known for his highly regarded Joshua tree sculptures. He is an accomplished metal worker/ fabricator whose work ranges from tabletop sculpture, metal wall art, custom furniture to large scale public art.

He works with a unique approach to abstractionism through the use of raw steel, bold colors, light, shadows and kineticism. His work is dramatically refined with the highest attention to detail.

Over the course of the last 2 years has been commissioned to create numerous large outdoor sculptures including what is believed to be the world’s largest steel Tesseract for the Bombay Beach Biennale. The Biennale, in its 4th year, is a renegade celebration of art, music, and philosophy with the intent of raising awareness of the Salton Sea environmental crisis. The sculptures throughout the town are now permanent installations and stand as a testament to what can occur when a creative community of artists gathers for a common cause.

Currently, he is preparing for an artist-in-residence program, to which he was awarded a “Golden Ticket” at the prestigious Chateau d’Orquevaux in Paris, France in 2020. He has been invited to create a one of a kind piece for the sculpture garden and build a working metal shop for future artists and sculptors to create in.

He is represented by Colin Fishers Studios in Palm Springs, CA and continuing with J&J Harrington Gallery following the retirement of Colin Fisher.  His work can also be found in private collections throughout the US, Canada, and Brazil.

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When not creating and refining his craft in his Palm Springs and Victoria, BC studios he enjoys spending time with his daughter, friends and riding his custom Harley.