A chunk of concrete, a fossil, piece of rebar, a river rock.Those are some of the things that inspire Reg Akright, a sculptor who turns granite and stone into works of art. Where other artists use paint, brushes and canvas, Akright's art supplies include steel and stone, grinders and
air hammers, a plasma cutter and drill press, an air compressor, even a forge.
His body of work, and his work on behalf of the arts community, are being recognized by the Arts Council of Snohomish County, which has named him 2008 Artist of the Year.
The Everett artist joins a distinguished roster of past winners since the award was established by the Arts Council in 1992 to honor artists for their artistic achievements and their community service.
He is a true advocate for the arts and a regionally known and respected stone sculptor, said Carie Collver, director of the Arts Council Gallery.
Akright got his award at the Art's Council's annual Helping the Arts benefit auction last month in Everett, where he received a standing ovation.
"It was one of the most memorable moments of my life," he said. "It's just wonderful." And a new source of inspiration, as Akright puts the finishing touches on a solo exhibit of his stone sculpture that goes on view Thursday at the Arts Council Gallery in Everett.
The show will include about 40 pieces, from table-top sculpture to a work of granite and steel that is 7 feet tall.
Since learning of the award late last year, he's been spending a lot of hours in his studio transforming hunks of granite and slabs of basalt into sinuous curves and fanciful shapes with sleek finishes that invite a touch. The cool, tactile beauty of stone inspires Akright to create works that range from the abstract to the whimsical, from small and elegant to big and bold. He also sculpts the metal bases that hold many of his works.
His studio is a converted garage in his north Everett home, with the work spilling out into the back yard where, under a tentlike structure, he begins the first leg of a painstaking process to shape rough stone. The finishing process continues in his studio and shop where he employs the power tools.
"My favorite stones are granites and basalts. They polish well and are often from our locale -- the Cascades and the Columbia Gorge. I love granite boulders," Akright said. "To me they are almost sensuous. Columnar basalt from the (Columbia River) gorge -- raw strength and power. I like stone that is common, boulders, columns, stuff you might walk right by or over on a hike."
Of the exhibit he says, "It's kind of a retrospective of work going back to the 1990s. To amass the number of pieces needed for this show is a culmination of a lot of years of work."
On a Saturday afternoon, the sculptor was puttering about his studio and describing how he works and how he became an artist. Akright has the compact, solid build of someone who works with his hands, a wry sense of humor and deep love of art.
His artistic odyssey began with his family: His father is a geologist and painter, his mother an art collector. His grandfather was a machinist and woodcarver. His love of the land and of the West was nurtured growing up in Wyoming, as was a restless nature. He worked a variety of jobs: bridge iron worker, underground miner, fisherman, bronze chaser, mason's helper.
That's where he learned to appreciate the beauty of common materials such as steel and stone and concrete, material that can be transformed into art.
"There is beauty and power in the ordinary stuff that surrounds us," Akright said.
In college, he added sculpture class to his schedule "just to relax." He was hooked, and at Western Washington University in Bellingham, where he completed his schooling, he loaded up on art classes. Adventures in Alaska and Arizona followed school, as did the art: casting bronze and creating silver, fossil ivory and stone jewelry.
The lure of stone was always there.
"Sometimes I know exactly what it will be. Other times, I do not have the foggiest idea. The stone will lead the process. I just shepherd it along. My sculptural process is pretty slow," he said. "Stone doesn't move very fast."
