​​The gift of an oxyacetylene welding torch for my 40th birthday presented the opportunity to teach myself to weld, initially to repair things, but very quickly this turned into late nights of sculpting. 
 
My studio is a landscape of chaos, essentially a scrapyard of rusted metal, stone, wood, tools, fire, and ideas swirling about me.

While the mechanical aspects of these sculptures might suggest the mind of an engineer, I am in fact a mental health counselor. As the Clinical Director of Hopewell, a 326-acre therapeutic working farm for mentally ill adults, my days are spent helping individuals develop balance in their lives. My work as a sculptor attempts to evoke the human quest to find balance within the chaos of life.

There are few things so rewarding as developing the idea of an piece in my minds eye, and conjuring it into existence. Raw material is pondered and designs are imagined. Through a process of heating, bending, cutting and welding with an oxy-acetylene torch, these designs are moved from my imagination to living, breathing sculptures. Each piece is worked until a degree of elegance is achieved that reveals an unexpected beauty and lightness, despite the obvious weight and bulk that steel and stone project.

Very intentionally there are no motors, magnets, or fans. My sculptures are not designed to catch the wind. Human interaction is essential for initiating motion. This creates an emotional and intimate connection to the piece that hopefully reflects a sense of balance we are all seeking in our lives.

My work is significantly influenced by sculptors Alexander Calder, David Smith, Alberto Giacometti, Bruce Gray, Andy Goldsworthy, and painters Jackson Pollock, and Joan Miro. 

 

DANIEL HORNE STUDIO

 

Artist Statement