News Articles About Got All Your Marbles and The Artists

AZ Daily Star

Puppet King on Holiday

One thing you can say about William Skiles is that he loves a challenge. Having participated in the Catalina Island Festival of Art for the past 3 years, and knowing healthy monetary prizes are awarded, Skiles decided to bring along his latest sculpture to last year's event titled "Puppet King on Holiday".

The piece, which measures 6' long x 4' tall x 4' wide and weighing in at about 150 lbs, was no easy task to bring to the island. But his effort paid off as the 'Puppet King' won 1st Place in Fine Arts & Crafts.

Skiles employed his ability in the lost wax process to create the piece; however, the technique utilizing steel, aluminium, and pop rivets was relatively new to the artist. The intricate work is a replica of a 50's style Streamline trailer, and in it resides 3 puppets in that all too familiar setting, the center of every home, the kitchen.

The artist won't explain what is going on between the puppets adding he prefers that it be left up to the imagination of the viewer to see a story.

One comment made at the show was, "Here is art imitating the artist." It seems to the viewer that the portholes on the trailer give an inside view into the artist and his life.

A patron of William's work once referred to his style as 'futuristic antiquities' which is probably the best way to describe his work. It's absolute craftsman quality with an edge.

Skiles and his wife Lisa have been making jewelry for the past 35 years and it was about 6 years ago Skiles came up with the interchangeable marble pendant, earrings and rings that are very popular items at the Catalina Festival. His engineering and design are so unique he was able to patent the mechanism for the jewelry. This not only allows him to support his family, but also has alloted him more time to devote to his creativity - or rather his futuristic antiques.

William and Lisa live in Tucson, Arizona, and love the reception they receive on Catalina Island. Be sure to stop by their booth this year and see what the two have been creating.

An Imagination Run Wild

William Skiles is an artist most definitely in possesion of an imagination run wild. His sense of humor and irony are evident in his sculptures, which include everything from giant shoes to a trailer where Oz's tin man resides. "I do like the idea of everything being kind of whimsical; there's something a little funny about each piece I create," says Skiles. "I never take myself too seriously, which is reflected in my art. Generally, I make very emotional statements that have a light side to them, because that's who I am."

Skiles's sculpture has systematically evolved over the years; he began by creating mostly small pieces using a carved wax/casting method. "But there were limitations to how quickly I could work," he says. "When you're carving wax the 'brush' is very small, and I decided I needed a larger canvas - a broader 'brush' to work with. So I started working in steel and welding, which was quick and satisfied my need to work fast."

Skiles found that steel also had a very rough feel to it, which led him to cover it with other materials. "The steel provides a great starting point or skeleton, for a sculpture, but I wanted to add other elements a produce a softer and more detailed look," he says. "Because of my background in jewelry (35 years), I like things to have a somewhat detailed, finished look, even if they are rough." Skiles found that metals such as aluminium, bronze and copper work well as finishing materials.

"I have settled on a few designs that are simple shapes," explains Skiles. "I like to reproduce those in different forms again and again. For instance, I have a half-domed round shape that I really like. It looks like the capillas you see in Mexico; they have flowers, photos, candles and other items in them. I like the idea of driving by these little cathedrals that are sitting by the roadside. Capillas have a great shape that convey a sense of lonliness, yet at the same time, they are elegant and simple. I put all sorts of things in my capillas - puppets, burning hearts and skulls, to name a few."

"I can build the skelelton of a sculpture in 4 hours," he adds. "The hard part is to cover that framework with pieces of copper, and drilling, etcetera. The finished pieces almost look haphazardly put together. Although I am capable of making absolutely perfect things, I don't. Perfection doesn't appeal to me; what appeals to me is the technique, the idea, how it feels, and the personality of the piece. Not just what it's made of, but how it's put together.

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