Richard Rhodes (sculptor)
Encyclopedia
Richard Rhodes is a Seattle, Washington-based sculptor, stonemason
, entrepreneur, and scholar of stonework world-wide. As a designer, Rhodes combines the aesthetics of traditional stone construction with contemporary building codes.
Born in California, Rhodes apprenticed as a stonemason in Siena
, Italy
, after graduate school at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
in 1981. Working with the operative branch of the Freemason’s guild
in Siena, Richard first encountered the Sacred Geometries
and the Sacred Rules of Bondwork as passed through the medieval guild of the Freemasons. Rhodes credits his guild training as a major influence in his sculptural practice.
His work explores the line between art and architecture and is self-described as “architectonic”.
It is also largely site-specific. Rhodes most frequently works in the more durable stones, granite
or high-density limestone
. The work is textural and often draws on the expressive hand finishes
he learned during his training and apprenticeship in Italy. Several of his commissions have
also incorporated antique stone objects such as salvaged and worn pavements or stair blocks.
Antique and salvaged granite was incorporated into Rhodes' largest public sculpture, a two
thousand square-foot Stone Wave
at the center of Antoine Predock's
Tacoma Art Museum
, which has attracted considerable attention since the museum (with Rhodes' support) has invited artists to contribute other works of art to the space that incorporate the stone wave as its base. Dale Chihuly's
Niijima Floats was the first artwork to be created in this series.
Rhodes is the founder of several businesses including Rhodes Architectural Stone, which purchased 17 villages behind the Three Gorges Dam
project in China
and successfully recycled the antique stone material into construction of architectural projects in the United States
.
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
, entrepreneur, and scholar of stonework world-wide. As a designer, Rhodes combines the aesthetics of traditional stone construction with contemporary building codes.
Born in California, Rhodes apprenticed as a stonemason in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, after graduate school at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
in 1981. Working with the operative branch of the Freemason’s guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
in Siena, Richard first encountered the Sacred Geometries
Sacred geometry
Sacred geometry is the geometry used in the planning and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, tabernacles; as well as for sacred spaces such as temenoi, sacred groves, village greens and holy wells, and the creation of religious art...
and the Sacred Rules of Bondwork as passed through the medieval guild of the Freemasons. Rhodes credits his guild training as a major influence in his sculptural practice.
His work explores the line between art and architecture and is self-described as “architectonic”.
It is also largely site-specific. Rhodes most frequently works in the more durable stones, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
or high-density limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. The work is textural and often draws on the expressive hand finishes
he learned during his training and apprenticeship in Italy. Several of his commissions have
also incorporated antique stone objects such as salvaged and worn pavements or stair blocks.
Antique and salvaged granite was incorporated into Rhodes' largest public sculpture, a two
thousand square-foot Stone Wave
Stone Wave
Stone Wave occupies the central courtyard of Tacoma, Washington's Tacoma Art Museum and is a major public work by sculptor Richard Rhodes of Seattle, Washington. Completed in May, 2003, the wave is constructed using 650 unique pieces of antique Chinese granite laid on a substrate of closed-cell...
at the center of Antoine Predock's
Antoine Predock
Antoine Predock is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Antoine Predock is the Principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC. The studio was established in 1967...
Tacoma Art Museum
Tacoma Art Museum
In May 2003, Tacoma Art Museum opened a new facility twice the size of its previous home, allowing the museum to expand on its vision and mission. American Institute of Architects AIA Gold Medal winner Antoine Predock designed the building located in the heart of Tacoma’s Cultural District...
, which has attracted considerable attention since the museum (with Rhodes' support) has invited artists to contribute other works of art to the space that incorporate the stone wave as its base. Dale Chihuly's
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
Niijima Floats was the first artwork to be created in this series.
Rhodes is the founder of several businesses including Rhodes Architectural Stone, which purchased 17 villages behind the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
project in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and successfully recycled the antique stone material into construction of architectural projects in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Written works by Richard Rhodes
- Doing Business Abroad Raises Ethical Concerns
- Survivor: Trapped in New Orleans During Katrina, I used business skills to get home safely
- Stone Expressions, a forthcoming collection of text and photographs exploring the history and practice of stone work from its origins to the present day.