‘South of Town’: High-velocity lead is artist’s new medium

Firing the clay — the slow, careful process of baking in a kiln — is an important and well-established part of the ceramics process. Firing "at" the clay is a less traditional part of the process, to say the least.

The works in Sean Russell's "South of Town" art exhibit were created by applying high-velocity lead to 25-pound blocks of clay at an undisclosed location south of the Las Vegas Valley. The show is set to be on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Sept. 11 at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 550 S. Grand Central Parkway.

The work began as an experiment and a reaction to a location. Russell never expected that the work would become an exhibition in a government building.

Russell moved to Las Vegas in 2002 to attend graduate school and discovered that some of his classmates went to the desert to go target shooting. The idea appealed to him.

"I bought a very large revolver and started joining them," he said.

He was impressed by the place that, for a time, included a car used for target practice. The ground was littered with red and green shotgun shells, and the remains of objects used as targets were everywhere.

"People bring all manner of junk out there, from vegetables, appliances, to old TVs," Russell said. "Anything they can find, they drag it out there and blow it away."

Russell wanted to find a way to share with others the uniqueness and absurdity of the site and highlight the importance of safer areas for target practice, such as the Clark County Shooting Complex, 11357 N. Decatur Blvd.

"A couple of years ago, we started dragging the clay out there and shooting it with a variety of firearms," he said.

The result was 25-pound blocks of clay perforated with large holes resembling molten metal caught in motion by a high-speed camera. At least, that's the way the surviving pieces looked.

"Some of them blew into a million pieces if we hit them wrong," Russell said. "We probably dragged 15 to 20 blocks out there over the years, but only 10 survived. This isn't a set of aesthetic choices; this is simply what survived the process."

Russell didn't rework the clay after applying the bullets to it. The works were moved carefully on a board to the back of a pickup truck for a slow drive across the valley to the College of Southern Nevada Cheyenne campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave., where Russell teaches. They were dried for months before they were taken to the kiln. The works are much thicker than what is usually fired.

"A ceramics professor here worked out the process for firing them," Russell said. "They were put in the kiln at 200 degrees for days to completely dry before it was turned up to actual firing temperatures. If there's any liquid in it at all, there's a chance it will explode. I thought at least one of them would blow up and take out the rest of them."

The works were finished with palladium, a metallic glaze that further enhances the look of molten metal caught in motion.

"The work is visually stunning," said Michael Ogilvie, public art cultural specialist for Clark County. "The whole idea is pretty great, too."

Ogilvie is a longtime friend of Russell's and has watched his work develop over the years. He said the show is a big departure from Russell's earlier work.

"He's not really known as a sculptor," Ogilvie said. "He primarily does paintings and drawings. Really, what he's turned into is an idea man. He's not constrained by a medium anymore."

Russell's work can be seen at seandavidrussell.com.

— To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.