Fire Inside Art

2008: Commissioned for $100,000 by an investor and Burner

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June, 2008: Sculpting in wax at the artist’s home studio, Dayton NV and at the anchor studio, Carson City, NV.

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2008: Early summer through late summer Power Sculpting. The carving ensued through late August when it was transported, still in progress on a specially designed trailer to Black Rock City NV, Burning Man. After the sharing, the sculpture was re-erected at the Carson studios and completed with finish before the year’s end.

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Metamorphosis by Fire Inside 2015: Carnival of Mirrors. Close to the Temple, committed to Fire Inside with citizens of Black Rock City ascending an orchard ladder, to assist the burn. The burn went deep into the early morning hours.

 

Events:  

• 2008, Burning Man: American Dream, 3:00, mid way to The Man: Centerpiece for installation, The Choice. Displayed with moorings to the playa, as a work in-progress, scaffolded. In performance art, the artist, donning arabic garb, mounts his scaffold, chainsaw blaring, carving furiously with occasional stops to holler out thank you’s to America, to the delight and consternation of gatherings below.

• 2009 Burning Man: Evolution, 3:00, near The Man: Centerpiece to the installation, Liberty (R)evolution. Displayed refined and finished, with new pyre-like pedestal, participants can now climb, play and slide down the base of the sculpture.

• 2015, Burning Man, before The Temple: Carnival of Mirrors: Displayed without The Pyre pedestal. Part of the tryptic installation, Smoke n Mirrors. Second of two burns in this installation.

• 2018 Burning Man: I, Robot, before The Temple: Displayed with The Pyre pedestal as one of the characters in the installation Artifactual Intelligence

• 2015-2017: Tahoe Beach Retreat, South Lake Tahoe, Character in Liberty (R)evolution Returns, on the beach at Tahoe Beach from spring through early summer, then again fall, 2015 through spring, 2017. The later portion of that, the sculpture was moved into the plaza-grounds at that same facility.  

             

Extended showings:

• 2010, Early Summer-2011, late winter, character in Liberty (R)evolution, Ski Run Marina, South Lake Tahoe, CA.

• 2015 - late spring, to late winter, 2017: Tahoe Beach Retreat, Private showing, character in Liberty (R)evolution Returns.

 

Noteworthy:

• The centerpiece for the artist’s first installation, 2007, a 10’ Statue of Liberty-esque sculpture still being carved was set ablaze by an arsonist. The incident drew the attention of the entire community, including one man, Paul, who had an idea about commissioning a sculpture that would be shared in public spaces and inspire people. He reasoned that someday, should he ever need money, the piece would be worth “something”. Paul asked the artist to suggest a design and Timeless roughly described his vision for a Statue of Liberty for the ages.

• After an extensive search, a massive, downed Cedar Stump with roots attached was located, in Tahoe City, acquired, removed by crane and transported by logging truck to the Carson studios. Was stood upside-down and scaffolded.

• Commissioned for American Dream for $100,000. Appraised in 2010 at $250,000.

• Late spring 2015 - Early spring 1017 Character in Liberty (R)evolution Returns, on the beach, later in the inner grounds of the, at Tahoe Beach Retreat, so. Lake Tahoe, CA. Committed to Fire Inside for a second and third time on the beach there, Friday the 13th and 14th of November, 2015; billed as a “Pray for Snow Burn”. After much study and talks with Native American shayman, the burn commenced. Snows started for the year as the final burn was extinguished, snowing steadily for the “two wettest years on record” for the Sierra Nevadas, thereby breaking a 12 year drought. The shows finally let up when the sculptures were taken off the beach, spring, 1017. It’s all a in the public record and available on request.

• The sculpture is inscribed with the words “Inspired by Paul Anthony Welter 1929 - 2007” (The artist’s father).

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Public record:

• This project was a darling of local media and featured in many local newspaper articles: