FROSTBURG — Dustin Davis [MFA ’71], professor of visual arts at Frostburg State University, was awarded Best of Show for his sculpture “Yellow Abstract,” which was featured in “The HUMAN Figure” September/October online show by the Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery.
The Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery celebrates the modernity of creative contemporary and traditional art through online art competitions. Artwork submitted for “The HUMAN Figure” was required to represent qualities that are inherent in the human figure, such as proportions of the body and expressiveness. Artists had to demonstrate strong technical skill in execution of their work.
“Yellow Abstract” is a metal assemblage that shows the figure in motion. The sculpture’s design resembles a human figure skating across an icy pond. Davis’ use of yellow makes it stand out from its surroundings and grabs the attention of viewers. Davis explained that he uses scrap metal for the sake of sustainability and for how the metal is shaped during the recycling process.
“In my current series of metal sculptures, most of the works are not planned out from their beginning to their conclusion; rather, they develop as each piece of the sculpture is welded to the next piece,” Davis said.