 Fredrick Prescott and his colorful creations will be on hand at the Rotary Fine Art in the Park show Saturday and Sunday. |
When sculptor Fredrick Prescott rolls into town in a 40-foot truck for the Los Altos Rotary Fine Art in the Park show Saturday and Sunday, he will be accompanied by a menagerie of life-size kinetic sculptures from his studio in Santa Fe, N.M.
Selected as the featured artist for the 31st annual Rotary art show, Prescott is scheduled to join 200 other artists in Lincoln Park to showcase 18 of his rusted-patina and brightly colored steel sculptures that move in the wind. His baby giraffe sculpture is featured on the official art poster for the annual fund-raiser.
As one of the top 10 best-selling art shows in California, the two-day exhibit and sale attracts artists from throughout the United States and showcases their art and craft work, including paintings, sculpture, photography, glasswork and jewelry.
Prescott, who was born in Palo Alto in 1949, began working with metal at the age of six. As the eldest son of the chief inventor and owner of the Universal Coin Meter Co., he spent countless hours honing the skills he uses to transform metal into art by cutting, bending and welding metal. When he was 12 he discovered watercolor painting and developed a passion for color. The combination of sculpting and painting prompted his career fascination for bold and colorful metal sculpture.
He is constantly inspired by all that is around him, Prescott said, adding that he draws vibrant colors into his sculpture from the “distinctly electric palette of the contemporary world.”
His work is seen as a blend of folk art, pop art and technically advanced constructionism. Whether depicting businessmen on Wall Street, surfers on their boards, outer space or the world of animals and nature, Prescott said he creates his vignettes from a joyful perspective.
Prescott’s clientele includes art collectors, museums and corporations - Walt Disney Co., King Hussein of Jordan and Oprah Winfrey have purchased his sculptures, and his work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
His appeal can be attributed to the “primitive need people have to laugh and have fun,” Prescott said. “Many people do not experience these emotions in their daily existence.”
Prescott’s work can be viewed 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Lincoln Park, Foothill Expressway and Main Street in Los Altos.
For more information about Los Altos Rotary Fine Art in the Park, visit www.losaltosrotary.org.
