Fickel Finger of Fate

Here’s one of those testimonials that brings fate forward into the light of our one shared humanity. How we can use our fingers to type into a search engine something of interest and find our way to something more profound than what we first were searching for. Here’s a case of Adrian looking for a limestone sculpture for sale and wound up purchasing one of my HOLOS pendants. I asked him how he found me and the website and this is his answer. Enjoying the journey, and the love of our interconnectedness.

“I have never met you- I put into the search engine beautiful limestone sculptures for sale and a website came up which had one of your sculptures shown in a henna limestone-very beautiful. I saw your name and put it into the search engine and came upon your website.

I must tell you that your sense of composition, use of positive and negative space and the ease with which you derive the same sense of sensuality and spirituality no mater whether using stone, metal or glass is exquisite. I was looking to see what pieces where available and what their cost is when I saw the jewelry you make and made the purchase. It moved me to see the design and it reflects a design element I use in some of my jewelry- the Fibonacci sequence. There is such beauty in that number and it is reflected in so many aspects of nature that I cannot help but be moved by it when I see it whether it is in a nautilus shell, a sunflower seedpod or a chrysanthemum. Your piece speaks to that beauty. I also have been intrigued by the use of 3 dimensional printers and found it doubly exciting that this piece was executed by such a design. It is brilliance incarnate.

I did see one of your Peace Portal sculptures listed on a gallery site in Idaho for $17,000 and realized I would probably not be able to afford your limestone or cast glass sculptures so I leaped at the chance to purchase one of your necklaces. Your work speaks to my soul and is uncanny in some of the design elements you use. I have used the figure form with upraised arms in one of my necklaces, in a beaded “painting I have done and a watercolor painting I made many years ago. There are other elements which are found in your works that have a universal connection to the human psyche and its experience which also influence my works, but yours are more refined and balanced.

Thank you for your creative genius and sharing your vision with the world. You are blessed with the language of art, beauty and spirituality.

I look forward to receiving your beautiful HOLOS necklace and being able to wear it knowing I will have a connection to your energy whenever I am wearing it or in its presence. Thank you. ” Adrian G

Adrian writes: “Dear Brian,

It would be an honor to have you use excerpts from my e-mail to you on your website-I would be okay with it even without you using my initials to footnote it.

Is there any way for me to find out prices of some of your smaller sculptural stone works? If it is within a certain range I might be able to look at my finances and purchase a piece. I love your work-it is inspiring. I would love to be able to have your work fill our home with its energy.

I have also seen other folks who have made certain sculptural forms translate them into jewelry pieces as well. For instance, some of your cast glass forms could be reduced to a pendant size and be quite beautiful as a focal piece as well as some of your stone designs. Since you have the 3-D printer it would be possible to scale the pieces to be pendants or the drops for earrings.

Thank you again for putting your vision out for the world to see. My hope is more people will find your site and be drawn to your work.”

Best wishes,  Adrian

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How to Launch a Dream – October 2, 2014

October 2nd is the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. I am launching a dream, starting today with a one month Kickstarter Campaign to raise awareness and funds for a PEACE Initiative. A HOLOS sculpture that symbolizes our one humanity. Here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1214524434/holos-symbol-for-one-humanity

Excerpt from the Ojai Valley News:
Ojai artist Brian Berman is launching the HOLOS Sculpture Project, a peace initiative. Berman’s HOLOS is a 9-spiral torus, Life-Saver form which he’s created in stone, glass and 3D printed metal in an exploration of perfect symmetry and as a symbol of peace and our one shared humanity. He believes that each of us is an essential part of the whole. Berman’s art sales will help fund a public version of the HOLOS design: a public art sculpture that promotes peace and unity, where people can congregate and listen and learn from each other. Ultimately he envisions an International Cities of Peace initiative, with HOLOS sculptures fostering peace-making conversations in towns across the world.

The Goal:

Public Art for Peace builds community

Our vision is to create the first HOLOS sculpture as a public artwork that ideally inspires communities around the world to declare themselves International Cities of Peace. Imagine with me… bringing a HOLOS sculpture to your community with the intention of creating more peace and unity. HOLOS symbolizes our one shared humanity. The goal is to install the HOLOS sculpture by International Peace Day, September 21, 2015. The first HOLOS sculpture is planned for the city of Ojai, CA. I’m asking for your support to help make this happen.

The Benefits:

Building a culture of peace in our communities will benefit us all. When we shift from fear and separation to unity and love, the benefits begin within ourselves and radiate out to our friends, our family, and into our community.

• Crime Reduction
• Violence Reduction
• Improved Economic Performance
• Improved Education Performance
• Enhanced Government Performance

HOLOS as a public art sculpture will benefit our communities. Peace is a strength within each of us. Let peace guide us to more harmonious community ways of living on this precious planet Earth.

I am ALL-IN and fully committed to bring this about. I invite you to partner with me in peacebuilding and I seek your support. Let’s create the first HOLOS public art sculpture —  together.

I will be exhibiting my artwork in the Ojai Studio Artisit Tour which will be held over three days this year, Oct. 11 through Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. I will share my Kickstarter Campaign during this exhibition, where you can make a pledge to help fund this project. I will be sharing about the sculpture project, and the Cities of Peace initiative. The tour offers the opportunity to visit the studios and talk with OSA artists about their work. Go to http://www.ojaistudioartists.org for more information and tickets.

This is a global need. Peace is good for everyone. Here’s a music video to get you in the mood for peace.

WE WANT PEACE music video by Emmanuel Jal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ZEJWVSiEI

2014 News Update

May 2014, after working in the Czech Republic at his glass studio in April, Berman is expecting the shipment of his newest glass castings any day now. His castings are part of a series of sculptures in glass, stone, and metal. Berman designed his 9 spiral torus geometric form to symbolize the regeneration of energy. The torus shape is also being used in the latest developments in free energy research. These first glass sculptures are spiraling portals, the entry point for this new body of work.

April 2014, Berman opened an exhibition at the Ojai Valley Museum with 60 artists representing The Ojai Studio Artists, where Berman is exhibiting his sculpture, “The Rejuvenator.” This 9 spiral torus design, Berman designed on a computer, and roughed out the stone sculpture using a computer controlled robotic stone router. The results of his effort has viewers both amazed at the symmetry of the design, but also what it represents.

12″x12″x6″ Onyx

In February 2013, Berman was featured in E. Ashley Rooney’s book, 100 Artists of the Northwest. Berman was also featured at Matzke Fine Art, where 25 of the Northwest Artists in the book were featured in an exhibition. Book is available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

February 2014, Berman held a solo exhibition titled “Just B” on the grounds of Meditation Mount, Ojai, CA. The exhibition included 25 indoor and outdoor sculptures that were placed throughout the grounds. Meditation Mount is a destination point with beautiful peaceful gardens and vista views overlooking the Ojai valley. Here’s a link to the slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBVoRlUxncQ

January 2014, Berman self published “Art For Peace” -­‐ sculptures -­‐ is a photographic coffee table book, an exhibition of sculptures created by Brian Berman from 2002 till 2013. Berman’s focus is Art for Peace -­‐ with seven themes relating to inner and outer peace. His sculptures are hand crafted using the mediums of stone, cast glass, and metals and now including 3D metal printing. This 134 page book contains commentary by the author as well as 200+ color photographs of 130 sculptures.
Here is a link to the preview: http://blur.by/1f3YvYk

Completing a Solo Show and Residing in Being

February is now gone and I had the great opportunity to show my sculptures at Meditation Mount in Ojai, CA. Meditation Mount is the treasured spot that drew Lisa and I away from our home in Washington State. When we visited this beautiful property in 2011, we were transformed by the beauty and the scent of citrus blossoms. I imagined my sculptures in the International Garden of Peace, and 2 years later, the director invited me to exhibit my sculptures there. This was one of those dreams coming true stories.

My path in life has been one of seeking the deep questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Once we moved to Ojai, all that I had been seeking throughout my life, seemed to fade away and what remained was so simple that it is amazing that it took over 40 years of meditation to realize this simple truth. I AM That Light I Seek.

Here’s a video of the Exhibition “Just B”. Ah so simple, like the flowers and the bees.

2013 Edition – Art for Peace Just Published

This is the dust jacket for my latest sculpture photo book.

I just published my new version of Brian Berman sculptures – Art for Peace. Take a look at the preview. Here’s where you can find it on the Blurb website: http://blur.by/1f3YvYk
I am also offering to acknowledge your purchase of one or more of my sculptures* with a copy of this book. (*The fine print, sculpture/s must be $1500 or more for the book offer.) Thanks for your interest in supporting my work.

Here’s a link to an eBook version: http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/p7681436cc266aa6e1dc2

Brian Berman – Art For Peace – sculptures – is a photographic book exhibition of sculptures created from 2002 till 2013. Berman’s focus is Art for Peace – with seven themes relating to inner and outer peace. His sculptures are hand crafted using the mediums of stone, cast glass, and metals and now including 3D metal printing. This 134 page book contains commentary by the author as well as 200+ color photographs of 130 sculptures.

Latest Body of Work Mostly in Stone Sculptures

Well it seems like this was the time to catch up on Blog posts, so here is my second one in catching up mode. Well, there has been lots of water flowing under the bridge since we moved to Ojai, so I’ll just keep posting images to give you and idea of what I’ve been creating in my sculptures and what’s been on my mind. Thanks for following along and soon I will share with you my visions for the next series of sculptures. Here are some images and if you click on them, they get much bigger and more enjoyable to view. Thanks and don’t hesitate to leave comments, I enjoy reading what you have to say as well.

Sculpture Adventure in Washington – May/June 2013

It’s been a while since I last posted photos of my sculptures. Well, I haven’t been sitting on my hands, actually I’ve been quite busy, making some sculptures in Corten Steel while visiting Bill Wentworth, Sterling Designs in Poulsbo, WA. Bill and I worked on my Wholeness sculpture pictured below and got my YinYang Block started. I got to finish it once returning to CA. (See image in next posting)

Bill lives near my studio and I’ve needed to get up to WA and clean out some of my stone collection. After 20 years of collecting stones for sculpting and having moved to southern CA, I needed to lighten my load and share some of these gems with fellow stone sculptors. So Rick, Sharon, Chuck, and Steve came out and drove away with 5 or 6 tons. That helped me pay for my travels and lighten my load at the same time. I also received a half scholarship to the Pilchuck Glass School for a short program with Richard Whiteley and Scott Chaseling. These two Ausies are great in their field, Richard a master at glass casting, and Scott a master at blown glass. They called their class Fractures, and given the minimal time we had to complete three casting/blown/cold worked glass sculptures, their namesake was appropriate. I was fortunate to not have any of my glass pieces fracture, but some did. This was not for the weak of spirit, this class took passion and long days and nights, prepping our ideas to begin each day until we could get work into the kilns for annealing or getting them cold worked and ready for the next steps needed. I again felt like one of the elder students on campus, so I pushed myself to finish my projects ahead of the curve. This was my strategy for not falling behind and putting more stress on the work than I would be OK with. So I put the pedal down and got my three projects done in the 8 days we had to work.

After Pilchuck I returned to Bainbridge Island and completed my projects, rented a Uhaul trailer and headed back home to Ojai. I had a safe journey and next installment I’ll show you the sculptures I finished since returning to Ojai.

 

Click on any photo to see it in a larger format. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions or leave comments below.

Nice Article in the Ojai Quarterly Glass and Me

This article was written by Anca Colbert and she interviewed me for her art column in the Ojai Quarterly magazine’s most recent issue. Here’s the article. Art & About-Winter2012

I’ve also been taking photos and the Ojai Photo Club has given me some awards lately. Here are a few photos I have received awards or praise for. I hope you enjoy viewing them and don’t hesitate to make a comment here as I’ll know someone is reading this blog.

I’ve also been finishing some sculptures in stone and will post the latest one below, I AM Joy and Light II, Basalt/Onyx/Granite 27″x25″x7″.

Garden Lookout takes a Journey

I am a bit remiss that I have neglected my blog for many months. I hope that the images that I post here and the story that goes along with the creative process will inspire you as artists and as art lovers. So here is the tale of the creation of a garden sculpture which will make it’s way into a hotel lobby soon.

I made my first Garden Lookout sculpture in the summer of 2002 out of a Canadian sandstone that I found on Vancouver Island. The natural shape of this stone lead me to cut the bottom and a hole for looking through. Holes in stones are a metaphor of the passage through something hard and difficult, yet possible. Whenever I would find a stone on a beach that had a hole in it, I would think of the work that it took for the water and the sand to wear through. Many years later I carved Garden Lookout II, this time I used Basalt and Limestone to complement each other. The movement of the Basalt stone I continued down the limestone design. I sold both of these Garden Lookout sculptures when I lived in Washington.

This past summer, I got a commission for a taller version of Garden Lookout ( 7′ tall ) for a hotel lobby. I was asked to make it in a similar version of Garden Lookout II. I wouldn’t try to replicate, as I want all of my sculptures to be original and not copies. I selected a 5′ tall basalt stone while up in Washington and cut out a limestone base from my stone inventory. I transported them down to Art City, a Ventura stone yard where I have been doing my stone sculpting since moving to Ojai. The carving was interrupted by several other sculpture carvings and shows, as well as a bulged disc in my lower back. This took a few weeks to heal before I could finish the commission. I experienced the thought “what if I cannot complete this sculpture using my own physical strength and skills?” Could I direct others to do the hands on work? Would it not be a sculpture of mine if I didn’t do all the work myself? This lead me to a place of recognition where the artist in me can direct many hands, like an orchestra conductor. As it is my design, I can make it anyway I want. This was a great release from the pressure of having a pinched nerve and not being able to hold a tool in my hands for 3 weeks. I found it liberating to watch my mind, and keep myself in a positive light, that I would get better, heal my back, and complete the commission in time. I am happy to share the photos of Garden Lookout III, and hope to have additional photos once it is installed in the hotel on the east coast. And to top it off, I completed my work ahead of schedule.

Solo Show – When a body of work is greater than the sum of its parts

Though I haven’t posted in a while, I wanted to bring you up to date with my solo show, Art for Peace. Yesterday May 6th, it ended and today I was told that the sold work has now moved into their new homes and the gallery has been reset with the remaining pieces of my show staying in the main gallery. I’m very happy about this as a body of work, even a reduced body of work, is more powerful than individual artworks spread throughout a gallery in a group setting. The results so far are way beyond my norm and I hope that this is something repeatable and a sign that the times are changing in the art world. So far, I have sold 18 sculptures (7 in cast glass, and 11 in stone) and one commission. The new gallery set up will run through the beginning of June, so if you are in the Salt Lake City region, stop in at the A Gallery and see my work there.

Here’s something that I wrote after the April 7th opening:

Not able to sleep, and just had to get up and begin April 8. Last night was
incredible. We arrived in SLC in the afternoon to winter. Hail, sleet, and
snow and then as we drove to the gallery after sprucing up, it really
began to snow hard. We entered the gallery at 5:45 and the staff was
smiling and a coy way. Did you have a look, they said. At what I said. The
red dots. The show had been up since March 29th and the staff had been
busy. 11 red dots, and one sculpture was gone, also sold. TWELVE sold and
the opening hadn’t even happened yet. OH MY GOD. Lisa and I walked around
seeing what had sold and were in shock, but elated. By the end of the
opening three more sales and many potential buyers, as they talked to me
and said to the gallery folks, they would be back, and they meant it. I
met with interior designers, who have been selecting my work over the
years for their clients. I met with architects and people with starched
shirts, under beautiful over garments. I met with people with such designer
glasses, of which I have never seen, and dressed to match.

One man bought my Seed of Compassion. He is the head of the fine art
department at the university here in Salt Lake City. He was all heart and
what felt like meeting a brother to say it like it felt.

I share my joy with you. This is something that I have NEVER felt before
in a gallery and never felt having done a good showing someplace including
our home. It feels like this is the oasis that I have been approaching
these 20 years in the art world, yet not ever tasting these waters, I
never knew what it would feel like until last night and now. It really
hasn’t fully sunk in, and I’m just riding the wave.