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Artist Profile: Sculptor KEN LEVER B Y H ENRIETTA M C G UIRE K EN L EVER AGREES WITH HIS SPIRITUAL ANCESTOR , M ICHAELANGELO , THAT THE FIGURE IS ALREADY IN THE MARBLE ; THE SCULPTOR JUST HAS TO REMOVE THE EXCESS MATERIAL . B UT THAT REMOVAL IS THE TIME CONSUMING PART WHICH COSTS SO MUCH IN EFFORT AND TALENT , AND WHICH THE PUBLIC IS RELUCTANT TO PAY FOR . Lever lives in Tallassee where he sculpts, designs, makes his own tools, and receives congratulations for a spectacular marble piece now on display in the Kelly Fitzpatrick Gallery in Wetumpka. It’s there and in his home studio that his multi-faceted talent keeps him busy and restless. He has done electro- mechanical work, space management, shutter pro- duction, furniture installation – but even that wasn’t enough because “It drives me crazy not to make stuff. I have to be busy using my hands creat- ing things,” said Lever. Like other artists in other times and places, he com- plains that people won’t buy three dimensional art. “Look how they behave. On a table they’ll see an artistic display of four or five pieces in marble, and then right above on the wall, a single landscape painting, not even very good. And without hesitation they’ll plonk down two hundred dollars for the landscape!” In spite of his dismay Lever’s dedication to art is complete. It has been a part of his life since childhood when he first began to make clay bowls in elementary school. And now it has increasingly taken over his life since he’s edging towards the decision to become a full time sculptor. “I feel that art in general can be your salvation. In my case it makes me happy because it frees me from frustration that my work hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. And it’s only getting above that frustration that you can be creative enough to solve the problems that any art project brings.” Like heart surgeons or space walkers, being a sculptor requires a special gene. You work with heavy, unyielding material like wood, granite or marble, you need expensive, powerful equipment such as a diamond blade which can cut your arm off, you can pay up to $4,000 for a lathe to be able to do very fine work, you often need the strength of an elephant just to pick up some of the unusual tools, -- in other words, nothing about sculpting is easy. But that special gene makes you more determined than ever to force the re- luctant piece of art to come forth. Hearing Ken Lever describe his joy at sculpting helps you un- derstand how irresistible it is. “I’ve always been fascinated by the intricacy of wood, none of it is ever the same. Every time I cut into a piece it’s like a Christmas present because I never know what’s inside. That’s the biggest lure of sculpting: it creates a palette of colors that I could never dream of, or replicate. Mother Nature does the work for me. I can see a beautiful sculpture in the wood before I even start.” “The Southeast is rich in various woods and even marble, which is a newer medium (to me) to explore, it has a lot of similarities, both are an extraction method, both have grain, and the processes of carving are really close, so it was an easy line to cross. I’ve been involved with the Sylacauga Marble Fest since 2012, working with CULTURE ................................................................................................................................... 22 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com Space Station #5