Joshua Enck Sculpture at University of Maine Museum of Art

Towering, whimsical sculptures crafted by Rhode Island sculptor Joshua Enck will kick off the year at the University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor, thus solidifying the museum's commitment to contemporary sculpture and its mission to think modern and go big.

"The Gesture Contained: Recent Sculptures by Joshua Enck" will be on display from Jan. 14 to March 26.

His thought-provoking artwork of calculated simplicity creates an environment of looming, angular metal shapes and intricate ovals of weaving wood, just as trees and boulders create a forest.

"I really like making things that, if you view them quickly, they might seem a bit more simple than they really are, and closer, you see the subtleties," said Enck, 33. "I try to make forms that are different from every angle and I think all the work in the show reflects that."

The exhibit will be Enck's first solo museum show, and he's excited to have the room to spread his sculptures out, allowing viewers to approach the sculptures from afar and view them from all angles, much as one experiences architectural and natural forms.

"His background is architecture and furniture design," said Kinghorn. "He has made functional furniture pieces for bread and butter, but the bulk of his creative energies go towards creating sculptural forms."

Enck has a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Illinois and master's in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he now teaches spatial dynamics and 3-D design.

"I really like making sculptures if I'm just making [artwork] for myself," Enck said. "But I approach both furniture and sculpture similarly, with attention to detail, craftsmanship and material."

What initially attracted Kinghorn to Enck's artwork was "Tinker," a painted wood sculpture covered in silvery aluminum leaf that closely resembles a swan, a bent oil can or a melting Hershey's Kiss depending on the viewer. The sculpture will be a part of his UMMA exhibit.

Vernacular architecture such as grain elevators influences his designs. All of his pieces start with a sketch and evolve as he brings the design to life in his workshop.

For the UMMA exhibit, Enck created four new sculptures in one year. One of the sculptures, titled "Counterpoise," is the largest he has constructed thus far. Sitting on the floor, the geometric figure stands 8 feet tall.

"The tallest piece was actually really exciting in that it was almost completely developed just in the shop through the process of making," Enck said. "I would almost call it sketching in three-dimension. It just kind of grew and evolved in the process of making which was really exciting and sort of nerve-wracking at the same time."

For information about the three new exhibitions, visit www.umma.umaine.edu or call 561-3350.