Welcome to Rubert Studios

Structure is very important to artist Russ RuBert. It is the research, design, and framework on which he builds, and it enables him to create large fanciful sculptures that are in some ways like giant toys, pushing the boundaries of what people expect of art, pushing them to try something unexpected.

And yet these are not just sculptures for children, but for the child in all of us—for the child-like wonder that needs to be awakened so that we too can play with a fantastic robot or touch a cloud.

"Fusionism...I like to take ideas, art, and concepts from other cultures, other artists, other times in history and merge them all together."

One reason that his sculptures seems able to bridge all ages of people is something that RuBert calls "Fusionism...I like to take ideas, art, and concepts from other cultures, other artists, other times in history and merge them all together."

This is obvious in the way that RuBert incorporates a wide variety of materials and technology into his work. Like an architect who uses diverse building materials to create a rich environment, RuBert chooses different materials to create a complete concept. In his kinetic pieces, even the smallest details are well designed by the artist.

If a sculpture has a fantastic curve that cantilevers in wild directions, the internal structure may be completely hidden. If the sculpture is a complex machine, the internal mechanics may be framed in a clear plastic box so the viewer can see them work.

To make his sculptures work, RuBert is almost fanatical about testing, designing and engineering his pieces which may incorporate electricity, neon, or kinetics. In his passion to design large metal forms with complex balance points and multiple components, he has developed his own 3D CAD/CAM computer systems. These computers allow him to create scaled models and design structural systems that rival the capabilities of the most advanced architectural companies.

Once a sculpture is under construction in the studio, the work becomes very hands-on. For this RuBert is well-equipped with a 22,000 square foot industrial studio that has dedicated metal-working areas, finishing rooms, and a even its own sixty-foot tall crane.

Beyond working, these sculptures are beautiful! Although stainless steel is one of the hardest metals to work, the end result is not cold or overly industrial. Forms of stainless steel move in organic curves, covered with sweeping, swirling patterns that sometimes follow the form, sometimes contrast it.

RuBert puts these patterns into his metal surfaces like brush strokes, except that these brush strokes are made with a fifteen-pound abrasive tool and reflect light that moves as the viewer does.

...he muses that when a sculpture is getting so complicated that he can no longer draw it on paper, "that's when I know that it is starting to get really good."

It is his sensitivity to form and scale combined with a touch of whimsy that takes what RuBert calls fusionism far beyond assemblage art. Diverse materials and ideas are more than bolted together, they are assimilated and reincarnated into something totally new.

RuBert travels extensively, seeking out architecture and art of other cultures. He is well-read in environmental and natural sciences. He also has over twenty years experience designing and building computer systems. These diverse influences add depth and complexity to his work.

Discovering the ability to think in three dimensions was a pivotal point in his life. RuBert recalls the day when he was six years old that he first visualized a solid object clearly in his mind, and he has continued to develop this ability his whole life. Although he uses computers extensively in his design process, the concept always starts in his imagination and "in his heart."

In fact, he muses that when a sculpture is getting so complicated that he can no longer draw it on paper, "that's when I know that it is starting to get really good." The complex three-dimensional forms that RuBert creates are sometimes difficult to photograph. Reflections of light move across complex surfaces. What looks like a straight line on one side may actually be a curved or twisted form. To fully experience a sculpture that may also incorporate movement or sound, the viewer needs to experience it in real life.

Intrinsic to his work is his belief that art should activate an area and excite and inspire the viewer's imagination. To achieve such ambitious goals, RuBert will draw on any of his vast arsenal of tools, skills, and experience to create the unexpected.