Dave Wertz

BIOGRAPHY

David Wertz


Artist Statement

“I seek to share the excitement and mystery of this life with the viewer through three-dimensional fine art.  All of my work is hand fabricated using various combinations of forging and welding, techniques as ancient as they are modern and cutting edge. I employ a vast array of tools and equipment to achieve a diversity of expressions ranging from contemporary sleekness to the worn patinas of antiquity. The paints and finishes I use operate in much the same way, drawing inspiration from the full length and breadth of the spectrum.  In the majority of my work I employ carbon steel, but on occasion I do add certain exotic metals. Lately, I have been swept up in the raw beauty of reclaimed metal.  No matter which metal I use, I love the curve and seek it out in all of its glory and wonder. As my career evolves and shifts, I notice my appreciation for the fundamental curve of the female form, and replicate it in the abstract as well as the stylized and functional.”

 

Wertz left a career at FedEx in 2004 to devote himself full time to his art. As his artistic career was developing, he specialized in producing custom commissions and architectural design for homes and businesses, working with a select group of engineers, architects, and interior designers. He also maintained relationships with several fine art galleries.

 In 2008, Wertz followed a dream to wander the world and immerse himself in other ways of being. He spent a year and a half traveling through the British Virgin Islands, Nepal, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Bali. When he returned to the US in 2009, the shifting economic landscape brought him to explore new artistic territory -- horses, yes, horses made from reclaimed materials, the iconic leftovers from industrial giants of the golden age of automobiles.

 

Exhibitions

2014

Cabell Gallery, Lexington, VA

David Wertz, Solo Show, Upstairs Gallery, TEW Galleries, Atlanta, GA

American Craft Council, Baltimore, MD

Caldwell Arts Council, 3 Person Show, Lenoir, NC

Troika Gallery, Floyd, VA

 

2013

Artworks for Virginia, Richmond VA

Sculpture Now, 2013, Washington, D.C.

Bath Country Art Show, Warm Springs, VA

Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival, Port Warwick, VA

New River Biennial, 2013, Perspective Gallery, Blacksburg, VA

 

2012

Equus Revisited, David Wertz and Melissa Mason, TEW Galleries, Atlanta, GA

March 2012, American Craft Council Show, Atlanta, GA

February 2012, Two-Person Show, Gallery C, Raleigh, NC,

 

2011

Intersection Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC

November 2011, Piedmont Craftsmen Show, Winston-Salem, NC

David Wertz, November 2011, Ferrum College, Ferrum, VA

Art on the Lawn, Pearisburg, VA, *Honorable Mention

Lenoir Sculpture Celebration, Lenoir, NC

Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show, Loveland, CO

The La De Da Show, David Wertz, One-man show, Roanoke, VA

Rockbridge Bath Art Show, 1st Place Sculpture, Lexington, VA

Bath County Art Show, Sculpture Division Award, Hot Springs, VA

Annapolis Art Show, Annapolis, MD

Taubman Museum Art Show, Sculpture Division Award, Roanoke, V

Love Your Mother Show, Sinkland Farms Artisan Center, New River Land Trust, Riner, VA

Open Studio Tour, One-man show, Roanoke, VA

Dialogue Gallery, Marginal Art, Roanoke, VA

 

2010

Red Wolf Gallery, Collaborative Show with Christine Kosiba, Brevard NC

Patton Philips Gallery, One-man show, Roanoke, VA

Art View Visions & Voices, Contemporary International Art Exhibition, Roanoke, VA

25th Sculpture Celebration, Judges Award, Lenoir, NC
Bath County Art Show, 2nd Place Sculpture Division, Hot Springs, VA

 

Museum Shows

2011

Taubman Museum Art Show, Sculpture Division Award, Roanoke, VA

 

Public Commissions

Franklin County YMCA, Rocky Mount, Virginia

Hidden Valley Country Club, Roanoke, Virginia

Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management, Arlington, Virginia

*This commission consisted of 80 individual unique sculptures

 

Press

American Art Collector, “A Harmonious Home, Rosalind and Robert Minkhorst, Kiawah Island, South Carolina,” by John O’Hern

 

TEW Galleries is one of Atlanta's Leading Contemporary Galleries since 1987