NASHVILLE, TENN.- Artist Herb Williams is exhibiting a new series of dog sculptures titled Call of Couture composed of thousands of crayons all in different themes of high fashion, along with several paintings. The exhibit opened Saturday April 4th, at The Rymer Gallery, during the Downtown First Saturday Art Crawl and will continue through April 30, 2015.

Although Herb works with many different mediums and materials, he is one of the only individuals in the world with an account with Crayola. Herb creates original sculptures out of individual crayons that may require as many as hundreds of thousands. Experiencing world-wide acclaim for his crayon sculptures, Mr. Williams artwork hold records with Ripley’s and Guinness, and his sculptures have been placed in public arenas, such as children’s hospitals, corporate lobbies, museum walls, and the White House.

Ultimately, his work displays an interest in identifying objects which hold iconic cultural significance (or have been designated with a specific purpose), and then reintroducing them in different and unexpected subtexts. The sculptures are childlike and curious in their approach to the use of pure color, yet pose intriguing questions concerning a more adult mindset. Larger scale installations also introduce an olfactory sense of play, as the scent of crayon wax inevitably saturates even the most expansive of environments. As Williams states, and quite aptly, “My intent is to continue to seriously create art that looks at itself unseriously.”

The exhibition Call of Couture is a series of 15 different breeds of dogs paired with iconic fashion design patterns or styles. "I am exploring how specific "pure" breeds of dogs now can become the ultimate fashion accessory. Paintings from as early as the 15th century depict royalty with a purebred dog on their lap or by their side. Iconic fashion, like art, provides a paradigm shift which defines moments of time in society and sets it apart from banality. In the Call of Couture series the animal kingdom models contemporary fashion in my signature cut-crayon medium."

Herb Williams was born in Montgomery, AL, in 1973. Every summer from the age of twelve to graduating from high school at eighteen, he worked in construction, which gave him a deep understanding of form and materials. Mr. Williams received a BFA in sculpture from Birmingham-Southern College, and there apprenticed under two professional sculptors off-campus. Upon graduation the artist immediately went to work at a bronze foundry in West Palm Beach, FL. There he cast hundreds of sculptures with the atelier Popliteo and the last work of art by photo realist Duane Hanson, “Man on Riding Lawnmower.” Herb Williams then moved to Nashville, TN, where he has lived and created art since 1998. Mr. Williams received The Joan Mitchell Foundation Museum Purchase Grant in 2005, the Next Star Artist Award in 2008, and was sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2011.

Although the artist works with many different mediums and materials, Herb is one of the only individuals in the world with an account with Crayola. He creates original sculptures out of individual crayons that may require as many as hundreds of thousands. Mr. Williams artwork hold records with Ripley’s and Guinness . His sculptures have been placed in public arenas, such as children’s hospitals, corporate lobbies, museum walls, and the White House.

The press and acclaim the crayon sculptures have garnered has reached as far as China, England, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Australia, Croatia, and Japan. His work was featured at an Inaugural art exhibit in Washington, DC, with Shepard Fairey, and recently he opened Plunderland, a walk-in room installation consisting of almost 500,000 crayons at an art gallery in Chelsea. Mr. Williams just completed a large-scale outdoor installation at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas, which dealt with the wildfire devastation, and raising awareness for education, safety, and future planning. The exhibit Secret Spectrum, consisting of over sixty crayon sculptures just returned from Shanghai. Herb Williams is currently represented by The Rymer Gallery in Nashville, TN, where the Call of Couture exhibit opens April 4th.

Artist Statement
Crayons are a gateway drug. To most adults, the sight and smell of crayons produce specific memories of childhood. The twist in the road to nostalgia is the creation of a new object, from a medium in which it was not intended. This element of unexpected interaction and play had me at hello.

I am one of the only independent buyers in the world who maintains an account with Crayola. Because I am in pursuit of larger ideas, the playful aspect of my medium is integral to the works of art I’m creating. I can subversively insert a concept that may bloom well after the initial recognition of the form as a familiar children’s implement. To create my work I need to produce sculpture on a grand scale (which takes thousands and thousands of crayons), so I order each color individually packed (3000 to a case) and cut the sticks down to the length I need. I then bond the paper—not the wax—to a form I have carved or cast, completely enveloping the form.

I am interested in identifying iconic objects that society perceives to fit one role and then reintroducing them in different subtexts. Intriguing questions arise when an object associated with childhood, such as a crayon, is used to address issues dealing with more adult matters, such as sexuality, religion, and social hierarchy. The sculptures are childlike in their curious approach to the object as icon, but beguiling and satisfying to me in the use of pure color as form. Larger room installations also add the element of playing to the olfactory sense, as the scent of the wax completely saturates the environment. My intent is to continue to seriously create art that looks at itself unseriously.