"Homage"

I was honored to be invited to a short residency at Stone Walls, home of the David Hayes Sculpture Fields in Coventry Ct. in August of 2021. My second visit to the home and studio of the late modern master David Hayes. http://www.davidhayes.com/ I met David Hayes in 2008 in Syracuse, NY. He had a citywide multi piece exhibition. Twenty some sculptures installed throughout the city on a walking tour beginning at the Everson Museum and ending in the near west side. I visited the exhibition several times during that year and jumped at the chance to hear him speak when he offered a talk about his life and work. It was after his lecture that I had a warm and inspiring visit with him. Sadly Mr.Hayes passed in 2013. In a chance meeting several years later I met his son John in Florida and have since become friends. Through John I have come to know older brother David and sister Mary. This frienship with the family has given me an even greater appreciation for the artist. His commitment to his craft. His dedication and hard work. The challenges that he faced as an artist and family man. This has been and continues to be a rewarding and inspiring relationship. I was offered an extremely unique opportunity to sift through the now dust and dirt covered outdoor work space where Mr. Hayes cut steel. I was asked to take anything small that I wished, and to make a sculpture or two or three. "Homage" is the second sculpture completed with this material gleaned from the grounds. This work is composed of four seperate pieces of steel and arranged in a manner as true to the artist's aesthetic as I could imagine. I also made an effort to leave each piece as close to way I found them, with minimal grinding or alteration as reasonable. This was so as to leave as much of the hand of the master live on in this sculpture. I did however add an element that was my own. The round circular piece was something I had and included so as to add my own touch to the piece. It also serves as a nod to David Smith, (American sculptor 1906 - 1965)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Smith_(sculptor). David Smith and David Hayes met at the University of Indiana when Smith was teaching and Hayes was a graduate student. David Hayes would subsequently visit Bolton Landing summers to work with Smith and learn and refine his welding skills. This sculpture is a tribute to these two men. Their work and dedication to advancing modern art in their lifetimes.

Julia

I was honored to be the first resident artist at the David Hayes Sculpture Fields in Coventry, Ct. this past August. Certainly a highlight of 2021. The David Hayes Art Foundation.

“Julia,” 2021, by Kevin Abbott. Under the aegis of the David Hayes Art Foundation, the sculptor Kevin Abbott created several small sculptures from cast-offs left by David Hayes and harvested from his studio floor. Kevin Abbott is the inaugural participant of a mini summer residency on the grounds of the David Hayes Sculpture Fields. Welded steel cast-offs coated with protective varnish. #kvabbott, #davidhayes, #coventryct., #steelsculpture, #sculpturefields, #residentartist, #kevinabbottart