Kinetic Stainless Steel Sculptures
The perfect marriage of medium and artist occurred when Gary Traczyk of Miami, Florida found his muse in stainless steel. He manipulates the metal into breathtakingly balanced arabesques of seemingly lightweight form. They are strong-looking yet, oxymoronically, also delicate in their curving elegance. Though static, these sculptures convey movement and a balletic gracefulness. Each is not only an artwork, but a feat of engineering as well. Every sculpture is completely unique and created purely out of a spiritual conversation Traczyk has with his chosen material. “There are no molds,” he says of his process. “Nothing is drawn out. Each sculpture has its own personality.”
The creative process is labor-intensive, taking from a minimum of eight weeks up to twelve weeks. Traczyk’s formal training in art includes attendance at Miami’s New World School of the Arts and art classes at an international program in Italy, where he also spent five years of his childhood. “Growing up there, studying Renaissance art and drawing in charcoal had an enormous influence on me,” says Traczyk.
Today, collectors of his work are enjoying his evolution over the past nearly two decades. “If you have a vision, collectors want to go on that ride with you,” he says. Recognition of his talent has been the result of the artist’s participation in art fairs including SOFA Chicago, Art Palm Beach, Art San Diego, Toronto Art Expo and Spectrum Miami. Traczyk is seeking more public displays of his work in the future, along with affiliations with health care institutions. This goal is in line with his career highlight of donating his sculptures to health-related charities, including those fighting cancer, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. “It’s really wonderful to help people who need it,” he says, adding that he has also worked with the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts and the Miami Children’s Museum, among other entities.
