Bruce Grudzinski Tom Grade

medium: sculpture

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Pataka Dega 2002 Sculpture	Pataka Dega (detail) 2002 Sculpture	Dhara Dega 2002 Sculpture
Dhara Dega (detail) 2002 Sculpture	Trishul Dega I 2002 Sculpture	Trishul Dega I (detail) 2002 Sculpture
Trishul Dega II 2002 Sculpture	Trishul Dega II (detail) 2002 Sculpture	Trishul Dega III 2002 Sculpture
Trishul Dega III (detail) 2002 Sculpture

Contact information
8070 N. 55th St.
Brown Deer, WI 53223
Email Address: brgrudski@aol.com

Artist statement
Tom Grade and Bruce Grudzinski have been working collaboratively for approximately eight years. Apart from their own work and subsequent to their collaboration, the artists had been searching for a satisfactory way to combine their creative efforts and produce sculptural forms using paper and steel as the primary materials. Both saw strong creative possibilities in the juxtaposition of these physically contrasting materials as well as the diametrically opposed elements of fire and water that are required to shape them. They had some difficulty in finding a form that would give them the spiritual presence the materials deserved.

In 1996, the artists decided to use visual and metaphysical elements that they had encountered in religious structures known as "degas." In Nepal a "dega" or temple is a sacred place for introspection and meditation. The temples were rich with the historical and spiritual qualities both artists were looking for, giving them the basic formal and conceptual framework they could employ to satisfy their requirements and allow them to move forward with their sculptural and spiritual collaboration.

During the time Tom Grade and Bruce Grudzinski have been working together, it has been their goal to have a seamless joint effort in the creation of their degas. The evolving collaboration has worked well and been productive. The artist's combined efforts have resulted in a variety of pieces with different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Steel (fire) and paper (water) are brought together in sculptural forms that have a spiritual presence.

Biography
Thomas Grade graduated with a BFA in fibers from UW-Milwaukee. Tom was one of the first foreign artists admitted to Beijing, China's Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (1982) and has continued traveling worldwide ever since. His handmolded paper and mixed media sculptures have been seen in various exhibitions and galleries throughout the U.S. and are in many private and corporate collections. He recently completed "Windows to the World" for the Outagamie County Airport and has been asked to create the signature piece for the new Paper Discovery Center in Appleton, Wis.

Bruce Grudzinski graduated with a MFA in sculpture from UW-Milwaukee. As a sculptor and professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, he has taught artists and designers for nineteen years. His sculptures are socially relevant and spiritually introspective constructions that often include forging and welding. He has recently exhibited his work at UW-Fox Valley and UW-Sheboygan.