Alan Ott, Metal Sculptor

Artist Statement

The spectrum of Alan’s sculptural work ranges from the Utilitarian to the pure Aesthetic. Most of Alan’s career has been in industry. At a young age he worked in a bicycle shop, then worked as a machinist and eventually to Mechanical Engineering. Much of what is seen in Alan’s work is the extensive use of metals. At a young age, Alan discovered the magic of creating assemblages by way of machining, welding, forming and many other processes. A benefit of working in industry was to obtain  many discarded pieces of equipment, or scrap materials. These elements quickly made their way into compositions. Alan had observed dance performances and was taken by the beauty, form and movement. Not a formally trained artist, Alan first recognized the form - a failed bicycle fork, into a dancer composition. While pursuing his upper division coursework in Chico, Alan met a definitive mentor and was inspired by his magnificent metal sculptures and saw new possibilities in composition. That would mark the beginnings of the lifelong endeavor into sculpture. The descriptions of Alan’s art ranges from the abstract to the figurative. Alan also is an avid gardener. His garden is a backdrop to many of his mechanical otherworldly flowers and figurative pieces.

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