Home Bill Vielehr PO Box 19734 Boulder, CO 80308 303.443.9657 bill@vielehr.com kitty@vielehr.com Artist's Statement The deconstruction of visual fine art and the rise of performance and conceptual art was happening at a frenzied pace in the late sixties, when I was an art student. I, and thousands of other artists, began reconstructing visual art immediately, some in a very conservative pendulum swing such as the super-realism of the seventies and some rehashing landscapes, still lifes and portraiture. Others made pure visual art — art for art’s sake, not realizing that art bureaucrats and some critics, etc. were obsessed with trying to take the “visual” out of visual art. Now we are looking back and discovering that visual art had been immediately reconstructed. Conceptual, installation and performance art, etc. are offshoots of art philosophy and often are political propaganda — acting, performing and philosophizing about art that is not visual or not directly related to visual art. Trained in classic figurative modeling techniques in art school, I became interested in drawing in wax, which then led me to pursue three-dimensional drawings and paintings in metal. I chose cast and fabricated bronze and aluminum. Hieroglyphics, pictographs and petroglyphs, along with classic art composition, color, line and texture became the influences I use to create timeless 3D drawings which are based on other artists’ communication attempts, for example: numbers, letters, abstract expressionism, gesture painting, etc. Drawing did not die with the so-called death of painting but remains the first tool in creating visual art, not necessarily socio-political philosophy or propagandistic challenge kinds of art, but the purest art-for-art’s-sake art. My first step in the process is making a 3D mark on a wax sheet, thus paying homage to all attempts at visual communication. The second step is to relate the mark to pure visual art by obliteration, misuse, out-of-context presentation, three-dimensionalization, etc. The 3D drawings relate forward by use of high tech materials such as white bronze, manganese bronze and various aluminum alloys, and modern welding techniques and finishes. The work relates back historically to cave paintings, hieroglyphics, petroglyphs and pictographs. Abstraction, letters, numbers, pop art, impression, expression are inadvertently addressed, as is visual beauty, which is inherent in the process of wax to metal that is thousands of years old. My work is not conceived to be attractive and visually pleasing, but many times achieves this non-purpose through process — process that pays homage to all visual art created through process. From Christo’s installations to printmakers, my work is handmade and, in the sense of artists like Tom Sachs, non-propagandistic. The reason it is considered reconstructed visual art by me is that it exists for itself because of itself. Craftsmanship is a non-issue. The works just physically stand on their own; nothing in the process — wax work, mold work, fitting, welding, sanding, polishing, coloring, etc. is hidden. It does not require a social or political environment, yet by polishing surfaces it reflects and interacts with the physical environment. The introduction of the figure as silhouettes and out-of-context outlines is a direct attempt to humanize the visual art concepts; they are abstracted by process; they are not the image of realism, or social-political culture. The works don’t say “now,” they don’t melt like ice, and they need no documentation that dilutes from the creative process. They are permanent (unless physically attacked) 3D visual art statements — attempts at communication in the purest form, that is, that the attempt to communicate is the justification as well as the message. My work is a view of where I am now, and a window to the direction I am experimenting towards. I consider no particular piece better than another. On some, I progress a little further in trying to figure out what I am doing — I step forward and backward and get lost. At certain times I am not sure what I am doing. Those are the best. Portrait of the Artist Click here to access a printable PDF booklet (7MB file) • Qualifications 35+ years experience in sculpture production, marketing, and development Excellent presentation and communication skills • Proven sculptural capabilities and artistic approval • Selected Public Commissions and Collections Fire Station #1, Aurora CO, “Fire Station I,” 2 @ 10’ high x 6’ x 3’, sculptural walls & bench, commission, 2006 Boulder International Film Festival, “The Vielehr,” 9” high, award for best films, commission, 2005, 2006 Main Library, Albuquerque NM, “Metal Pages,” 2 @ 12’ high x 3’ x 2”, sculptural walls, commission, 2005 City of Bellevue, Washington, “3D Drawing Series,” 12’ high x 10’ x 4’, 2003 Boulder Public Library Foundation, Charles Haertling Sculpture Park, Ninth & Canyon, five freestanding sculptural walls with seating, height 11’, 30’ x 50’ footprint, Boulder, CO 2002 City of Flagstaff, Public Art Commission, sculptural walls, 11’ x 10’ x 4’, Flagstaff, AZ, 1998 Colorado School of Mines, Coolbaugh Hall, 6 wall reliefs, 24” x 30” x 4” (3 bronze, 3 aluminum), drawings based on formulas and symbols from chemical research, Golden, CO, 1998 Boulder Country Courthouse, Monument to Mining, Boulder Miner’s Association, Boulder, CO, 1997 Boulder Public Library, Children’s Garden, Boulder, CO, 1991 City of Littleton Historic Museum, Littleton, CO, 1990 Boulder/Dushanbe Exchange Collection, Dushanbe, USSR, 1988 City of Boulder, Boulder Reservoir, Boulder, CO, 1986 Digital Corporation, Colorado Springs, CO, 1986 Prudential Bache, Park Place, Boulder, CO, 1983 Cherry Creek Plaza, Denver, CO, 1983 Macerich of California for Crossroads Mall, Boulder, CO, 1983 Embarcadero Square, San Francisco, CA, 1972 • Selected Relevant Experience Curator, “Abstraction Examined,” Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO, 2002 Instructor, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, Sculpture Department, 2001, 2002, 2003 Featured speaker on public art, CPRA Annual Conference, Vail, 1995 Director of FORM Sculpture Contemporary Sculpture, 1981 - present Arts Commission Presents, FORM, INC., KDVR Public TV, 1989 Featured Artist, Boulder Art Scene, DKVR Public TV, 1988 Curator and Coordinator, Sculpture in the Park, Boulder, CO, 1979-86, 1988 Discussion on Public Art, KGNU Public Radio, Boulder, 1986, 1987 Guest Lecturer, AIA Convention, San Francisco, CA, 1985 Curator and Coordinator, Annual Vail Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Vail, CO, 1979-1982 • Awards and Prizes 2002 Best of Show, Art on the Commons, Lakewood, CO 2002 Cash Award, Firehouse 3D Show, Longmont, CO 2001 Grant for Sculpture, Arts Commission, City of Boulder, CO 2000 Best of Show, Firehouse 3D Show, Longmont, CO 2000 Lou Wille Award for Excellence, Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO 1998 Grant for Sculpture, Arts Commission, City of Boulder, CO 1998 Grant for Sculpture, AHAB – Addison Grant, Boulder, CO 1988 Grant for Sculpture in the Park, #9, City of Boulder, CO 1985 Grant for Sculpture in the Park, #7, City of Boulder, CO 1981 Grant for Completion of Sculpture, City of Boulder, CO 1974 Colorado Designer Craftsmen Exhibit Purchase Award • Formal Education Graduate work, Special Studies of Sculpture, CO State University, 1969 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Colorado State University, 1969 • Selected Exhibitions 2007 Walker Fine Art, featured artist, Denver, CO Sculpture Key West, Ft. Zackary Taylor, Key West, FL Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO blink gallery, Boulder, CO Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM 2006 Bellevue Sculpture Exibition 2006, Bellevue/Seattle, WA Seven-O-Seven Contemporary, group show, Santa Fe, NM El Paseo Parade of Sculpture, Juried Exhibit, Palm Desert, CA Eccentric Gardens, group show, Boulder, CO Walker Fine Art, group show, Denver, CO Arte-Misia, group show, Sedona, AZ Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO ANL Gallery, San Francisco, CA Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM 2005 Colorado Open, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO El Paseo Parade of Sculpture, Juried Exhibit, Palm Desert, CA Walker Fine Art, group show, Denver, CO Arte-Misia, group show, Sedona, AZ Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO ANL Gallery, San Francisco, CA Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM 2004 O’Sullivan Center at Regis Univ, “Metal” Denver, CO Bellevue Sculpture Exhibit 2004, Bellevue/Seattle, WA Northern Colorado National Juried Exhibition, Ft. Collins, CO Walker Fine Art, group show, Denver, CO Tadu Gallery, featured artist, Santa Fe, NM Arte-Misia, group show, Sedona, AZ Calvin Charles Gallery, group show, Scottsdale, AZ Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM 2003 New Leaf Gallery, group show, Berkeley, CA “Navy Pier Walk 2003,” Chicago, IL Arte-Misia, group show, Sedona, AZ Calvin Charles Gallery, group show, Scottsdale, AZ Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Art on the Commons, Lakewood Cultural Center, Lakewood, CO Shidoni Gallery, group show, Tesuque, NM Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM Walkerfineart, group show, Denver, CO 2002 “Metal Abstractions,” 3-man show, Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO Walkerfineart, featured artist, Denver, CO Art on the Commons, Lakewood Cultural Center, Lakewood, CO Firehouse 3D Show, Longmont, CO Faculty Show, Philip J. Steele Gallery, R.M.C.A.D., Denver, CO 3D Drawing In The Park (1-Man Installation), Sculpture Park, Boulder, CO Avance Gallery, group show, New Orleans, LA Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM Shidoni Gallery, group show, Tesuque, NM Asietique Gallery, group show, Scottsdale, AZ 2001 Faculty Show, Philip J. Steele Gallery, R.M.C.A.D., Denver, CO “Works on Paper,” national juried show, CORE, Denver, CO Sculpture In The Park, Loveland, CO 4-Man Show, Metal Works, Lakewood Cultural Center, Lakewood, CO Featured Artist, Estes Park Art Center, Estes Park, CO 3D Drawing In The Park (1-Man Installation), Sculpture Park, Boulder, CO Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO Group Show, Avánce Gallery, New Orleans, LA Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM Shidoni Gallery, group show, Tesuque, NM 2000 Group Show/Gallery Opening, Gallerie Avánce, New Orleans, LA Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Firehouse 3D Show, Longmont, CO Four Sculptors, ArtYard, Denver, CO Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM Shidoni Gallery, group show, Tesuque, NM Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO 1999 Two Man Show (Object Art), Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Self Portrait Show, Hidden Treasures, Flagstaff, AZ Lumina Gallery, group show, Taos, NM Shidoni Gallery, group show, Tesuque, NM Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO 1998 North American Sculpture Exhibit, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO 1997 Shidoni Sculpture Garden, Tesuque, NM Lumina Gallery, Taos, NM Artyard Group Show, Denver, CO Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO 1996 Shidoni Sculpture Garden, Tesuque, NM Lumina Gallery, Taos, NM Artyard Group Show, Denver, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO 1995 Shidoni Summer Show, Tesuque, NM Open Studio Tour, Boulder, CO Art Center Sculpture Garden, Salida, CO Artyard Group Show, Denver, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO 1994 Artyard Show, Denver, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Sculpture in the Park, Littleton, CO Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art Open Invitational, Boulder, CO 1993 Boulder Art Center Open Invitational, Boulder, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Boulder Flow, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO One Man Show, Artyard, Denver, CO 1992 Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO Boulder Center for Visual Arts Open Invitational, Boulder, CO Artyard Show, Denver, CO 1991 FORM at Warren Place, Tulsa,OK Boulder Center for Visual Arts Open Invitational, Boulder, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO 1990 Boulder Center for Visual Arts Open Invitational, Boulder, CO Eyes, Boulder, CO Art On The Corner, Grand Junction, CO 1989 Artyard Group Show, Denver, CO Eyes, Boulder, CO 1988 Boulder/Dushanbe Exchange Show, Dushanbe, USSR Sienna Square Show, Boulder, CO Watershow, Artyard, Denver, CO Eyes, Boulder, CO 1987 FORM at Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO Denver Art Expo, Denver, CO Art Abounds, Boulder, CO 1985 FORM at the AIA Convention, San Francisco, CA Sculpture in the Park #7, Boulder, CO Take Stock in Denver Art, Winter and Fall, Denver, CO 1984 FORM at the ALA Convention, Phoenix, AZ Bridge Show, Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO Artyard, Denver, CO 1983 FORM at Fiddler’s Green, Greenwood Plaza, Denver, CO Arts ‘83, Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder, CO Dedication of Sculpture Garden Exhibit, Atwell Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO FORM in the Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO 1982 Boulder Sculpture Symposium, Boulder, CO 1981 Shidoni Summer Show, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM 1980 One Man Show, Gilman Galleries, Chicago, IL Sebastian Moore Gallery, Denver, CO 2nd Annual North American Sculpture Exhibit, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO 1979 Sebastian Moore Gallery, Denver, CO Boulder Visual Arts Center, Boulder, CO Studio Show, Boulder, CO 1978 Britton Gallery, Littleton, CO Boulder Cross Section, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder, CO Sebastian Moore Gallery, Denver, CO 1977 Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder, CO One Man Show, Haertling Gallery, Boulder, CO 1976 One Man Show, Haertling Gallery, Boulder, CO 1975 Allrich Galleries, San Francisco, CA One Man Show, Attitudes Gallery, Denver, CO One Man Show, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 1974 Annual Midwest Biennial, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE 1973 One Man Show, Allrich Galleries, San Francisco, CA One Man Show, Henkle Gallery, Houston, TX One Man Show, Gilman Galleries, Chicago, IL 1972 Twelfth Midwest Biennial, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE 1971 Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO One Man Show, Gilman Galleries, Chicago, IL 1970 Artists Choice, Friends of Contemporary Art, Denver, CO 1st Annual Colorado Art & Environment Exhibit home | see art | about the artist | lost wax method download book | email the artist Site design by Stylus Creative