David Mudgett

Sixth Annual Cloverdale Sculpture exhibit “Vertebrate”, by David Mudgett, has established itself as a favorite among many within the Cloverdale community. With its primal shape and rich metallic tones, it invites the viewer to reach out and touch.

Although the skeletal form could have been inspired by many animate beings, Mudgett tells us it emerged from years of fishing. “Their skeletons became permanently burned into my psyche, as did the shape of the hook that had caught them. I originally merged these two impressions into a smaller indoor sculpture, which, over time, evolved into this larger version”. Vertebrate is formed and fabricated from mild steel.

Mudgett has been building things all his life. “Always encouraged to repair rather than replace, I became mechanically inclined at a very young age”, he explained. “I was born with an allergy to text, and filled my youth with the great outdoors. I have always gravitated towards shape, sound and movement”.

Inspired by his grandfather, Mudgett was drawn to steel, and spent years as a pipe fitter learning the craft. He was fascinated by the ease at which large pieces of metal could be formed into limitless objects, and the metal soon became an affliction. These years of metal fabrication gave him a firm grasp of steel, yet he found the conventional uses littered with boundaries. The fusion of art and steel was calling to him.