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Local artist gets great commission

It is not often that a company

commissions a local artist to create sculpture, but that is just what the Christiansburg and Salem eye care center, Invision, just did. Check out this company at www.invision2020.com. Read the guest blog by Caitlin Scaggs below.

The Christiansburg eye care center, Invision, just recently commissioned three iconic eyewear sculptures from Roanoke-based artist, Dave Wertz. Dave is known for his three-dimensional metal sculptures such as the jellyfish, seahorse and fish series displayed in The Center in the Square as well as his abstract sculpture outside The Roanoke Rescue Mission. The project for Invision was initiated when the exterior sign for Invision’s business needed replacing. Rather than replacing it with a traditional sign they opted to replace it with a sculpture series that embodies their style as well as supports the local art community. Dr. Mann, with Invision, explained, "Our Christiansburg office is a converted warehouse with unique architectural design like wood floors, balconies and a giant skylight 35 feet above the floor. The walls feature local art. We wanted to bring some of the fun design concepts to the outside."

Dave fabricates his sculptures through various combinations of forging and welding. These sculptures were made from carbon and steel, which is typical medium of choice. However, as of late he has been inspired by reclaimed metal and has been using it more and more. From concept to creation the sculptures took nine months to complete. As Dave explained, “glasses are hard because you have to make two components that are identical but mirror imaged. Any time you have to sculpt two identical things from metal it is a significant challenge.” Another challenge was that the end sculptures were painted, which provides emphasis on any ding or imperfection in the metal. Dave rose to the challenge and the end results are incredible.

The three frame styles that the sculptures represent are Wayfarer, Cat-Eye, and John Lennon styled frames. There is also metal “bling” in the corner of each sculpture that was intentionally not painted. Emphasis on those details conveys the Invision brand of eyewear that is functional but also fashionable. Each sculpture weighs approximately one hundred pounds. They are mounted to the wall with six threaded rods that go a foot deep and are epoxied in place. In downtown Christiansburg you can see the sculptures prominently displayed on the 29 W. Main Street front of Old Town Mall. These sculptures not only support the local art community but also support the efforts to revitalize Downtown Christiansburg.

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