"Mantis Dreaming" is a steel sculpture by Bill Secunda displayed at Grand Rapids ArtPrize Sept 21 to Oct 9 2011
Bill Secunda Artist bio As a young boy,Bill spent many hours watching a neighbor weld and fabricate heavy welding process intriqued him. During welding classes, Bill would practice his welding techniques by turning lifeless scrap metal into his first artistic creations. Bill's creativity comes from the appreciation of the beauty that God gives each creature, large and small. Adding personality, balance, and a sense of movement to every piece makes each one stand out. Most everything Bill sees, hears, or experiences provides inspiration. About the work Title: "Mantis Dreaming" Art form: 3-D, Medium: steel, Year created: 2011 Height 20 feet, Width 27 feet, depth 11 feet. Description of work: “Mantis Dreaming” is a sculpture of a preying mantis with a butterfly on his claw. Made from discarded metal, with the majority being from an old rail road car tanker, and weighs 3,000 lbs. All created freehand by myself over the last 6 months. I envisioned this sculpture while listening to a song by a group called The Verve. Catching that butterfly in that dream of mine were the words that inspired the sculpture. I imagined a praying mantis might have that dream, his opposite, the butterfly, beautiful, delicate, and always out of reach. He is so infatuated with it, when the butterfly lands on him he stands frozen. His instincts clash with his fascination, all he can do is hope it doesn't fly away. We all have a butterfly we want to catch, or a golden ring to grab. We are consumed by the chase. We catch it but then what. I hope you enjoy it, and most of all I hope you catch your butterfly. Art Prize $498,000 prize ($250,000 to 1st place) Top 10 entries receive a prize Artists can submit one entry Any property in downtown Grand Rapids can be a venue Venues choose the artists they exhibit Anyone attending the event can vote Winner is determined by public vote
Size: 2736px × 3648px
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Photo credit: © Cynthia Lindow / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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