Beta Fish Sculpture

Kimberlee Rocca Artist Statement Rescued From the Scrap Heap – Reborn Into Beauty I am an Iowa artisan working by day in new home construction and remodeling, while unceasingly working as a mixed media artist. My job sites are filled with a myriad of common, yet uncommon materials that continually spark my imagination and wiggle their way into my fine art works. Designing and building homes captures a desire for large scale creativity, but the ever-flowing variety of construction waste products intrigues my bold, color loving and conservationist side. My two artistic disciplines are intertwined and I have found that I can barely do one without the other. Walking the sites is part of my process. I regularly scavenge through the tossed materials to discover unused treasures which frequently become my next inspirational launching pad. I have generated a stockpile collection of random pieces of raw wood, beams, stone, tile, paper, plastic and metals that I can process with abandon because I know there will always be more discarded. Home building requires a subtle elegance and simplicity in product selection, textures and colors as well as precision in execution and craftsmanship. Due to these limitations, my artistry tends to run in the polar opposite direction with bold colors, wild shapes and intentional imperfections. My abstract works and color palettes are Inspired by radiant sunsets, panoramic skies, vast fields, deep waters, winding trails and geology of every kind. I have a passion for color and process that translates my love of nature into vibrant and textural 2-d and 3-d abstract works and play sculptures. I utilize roll leaf foils, acrylics, pastels, inks, and pencils on paper, metal, wood or canvas to attain the desired scale and presence of my vision. -Kimberlee Rocca