UPPER LAKE ? Of his work that is currently on exhibit at the Lake County Wine Studio (LCWS), metal-casting artist Rolf Kriken said, “My work is respectful but you”ve got to hold people accountable.”
“You had a system of belief and when you find out they were lying, it is a rude awakening.”
“Voices from the Other Side” is a collection of sculptures and memorials that examine the impacts of war.
The faces and bodies of soldiers who return from combat bearing scars visible and otherwise, combined in three-dimensional pieces with the implements of war ? rifles and helmets. A few incorporate documents circa World War II.
Kriken served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1965.
Some of the models for his pieces are U.S. veterans.
“There is a story behind every piece, to be sure,” Kriken said.
The exhibit opened with an artists” reception on Friday, July 3 and will be displayed through the month of August.
Lake County Wine Studio is located on the corner of First and Main streets across from the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.
During the reception, Kriken went from piece to piece, offering explanations about technique and inspiration. One piece, “Stepping Out,” was recently displayed at the Moving Wall installation at the Lake County Fairgrounds. In addition to the rifle that is imbedded in the piece, reminiscent of a human torso, it also includes castings of faces from the Sacramento Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Kriken”s studio, Nordhammer Art Foundry, was commissioned to create the memorial in 1998. The event, he said, “changed my life.” He continues to deal with veterans” issues and politics in his pieces.
An enlarged casting of another piece, “Toy Story,” was also recently displayed at the site of the Moving Wall.
Kriken has been a commercial art founder for more than 30 years. He has exhibited in general sculptors” shows in which he said he recognized none of the names, they change so quickly.
“I”m very lucky; I have a foundry in town where I can do the big stuff and a foundry in my home where I can do the tricky stuff,” Kriken said.
Nordhammer Art Foundry”s current projects include the Danville All Wars Memorial, Cleveland All Veterans Memorial and Tiananmen Square Memorial. For more information, visit www.nordhammer.com.
