Today we’d like to introduce you to Russell Wrankle.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was raised on the outskirts of Palm Springs, California in what we called the “boonies”. We had only three channels on the TV and they came in fuzzy. There wasn’t much to do but wander the desert with my .22 caliber rifle, shooting things, mostly jackrabbits and cottontails.
My dad was a gardener to the stars and the elite of Palm Springs. In my formative years, I mowed the lawns of Steve McQueen, Ally McGraw, Barry Manilow, Liberace, and others. The architecture of most of these houses were mid-century modern and at the time I didn’t appreciate being intimate with the space of these dwellings, but in my older years, I think there might be a relationship between my interest in art-making and those early life experiences with architectural line, pattern, and texture.
Coming from a blue-collar background, I assumed I would be doing some form of manual labor job since I was raised to believe that true manhood and labor go hand in hand. By chance, I went to college, took a ceramics class and that changed everything.
That first class was the beginning of an art-filled life that includes experiences and relationships with the creative class that I never could have imagined when shooting rabbits and mowing lawns as a kid. The arts have enriched my life and the lives of my family and have opened doors that many just dream of.
In 2001 we moved to Toquerville, Utah, a small town in the midst of a spectacular landscape. Our house sits on the road to Zion National Park and the plan was to make pottery and tiles to sell to the passing tourists. It worked. I couldn’t make the work fast enough and we met so many wonderful people from all over the world. During this time, I was also making animal sculptures. It turned out that the tourist market for my pottery kept me too busy to investigate sculpture to my satisfaction, so at the peak of my pottery-making success, I abandoned pottery-making all together in 2009 and devoted my studio practice to sculpture.
About the same time, I started teaching at Southern Utah University as an adjunct professor. After three years of teaching as an adjunct professor, the position opened up to tenure track status. I am now an Associate Professor of Art at Southern Utah University where I teach 3D, Multimedia, and Ceramic Sculpture.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The hedonic treadmill is the struggle. This means the goal post is always moving. It’s like a mirage, the next best thing is just out of reach. You think you arrive, but then there’s another opportunity, a possibility another level to aspire to. I am very successful by all accounts, but I want more, and then some.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a ceramic artist, and if I’m known for anything, it’s my animal sculptures. I made a series of dog sculptures a few years back, and now that there’s some distance between now and then, I’ve realized how great these pieces are.
My latest endeavor is an online gallery with a social justice component, called shape theory collective. I represent about 15 artists, they are treated with dignity and respect, and we donate a percentage of sales to the Last Prisoner Project to help free the 40,000 cannabis prisoners.
What does success mean to you?
Autonomy, doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I like the saying “if it’s not a hell yes, then it’s a no”.
I’m not quite there yet, but I’m getting closer.
Pricing:
- $5000
Contact Info:
- Email: russellwrankle@gmail.com
- Website: www.shapetheorycollective.com, and russellwrankle@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellwrankle/, and https://www.instagram.com/shapetheorycollective/
Image Credits
Russell Wrankle
