Local artist Patrick Mack creates one of a kind sculptures for clients. He recently described his artistic beginnings.

"I came from a very large art family of ten kids, where everyone was an artist, including my parents. I loved photography and enjoyed the works of Nancy Brown, a photographic illustrator. Another inspirational photographer was National Geographic's Jim Brandenburg. His work on arctic wolves captured how they lived and socialized. I pursued photography, first by being the photo editor of my high school newspaper, then as a staff photographer with the South Bend Tribune. This led me to refine my skills at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia which then let me take on commercial photography for several years," he explained.

"My photography pursuits changed course when I took a trip to Europe and discovered the sculptures of Rodin, Giacometti, and Michelangelo. They were very connected to classical tales and the human condition. Their works showed the living human form in bronze and stone. I wanted to discover how they approached creating human emotions and feeling through inanimate material," Mack said.

"While at Indiana University, I took several courses in fine arts. My mentor Jean Paul Darriau ("JP", Professor of Sculpture Emeritus at the IU School of Fine Arts) encouraged me to create pieces to move people to think about art and what is going on in the world. 'Pat, incorporate a social consciousness in the pieces you create,' " he would say.

His career took shape in a new direction. "I launched my own art studio business in 1995, with the focus of making custom metal works for individuals, ad agencies and companies. My first major bronze sculpture came from a connection to the Mel and Bren Simon family.

They had seen a small golfer I designed and were interested in creating a larger version about 11 feet tall. At the time I was not fully versed in how to cast bronze and I quickly got to work on learning everything I could to become a clay to bronze artist," he described.

The Simon project led him into another artistic area. "This opportunity opened up a whole new direction to offer sculpture as a new medium. With the help of the Indianapolis Arts Council's Creative Renewal grant, I spent several months learning more about casting at foundries in New York and Oklahoma. One of the takeaways for me was to focus on the lost wax technique, where I create a sculpture in clay, make a plaster mold of that and then create a wax impression of the mold. It is this wax that is taken to the foundry to be setup for casting. The process creates organic fluid movement with much surface detail and texture, showing off the advice I had received about incorporating a social consciousness in the pieces you create," Mack noted.

Domestic events have also shaped his perspective and influenced his work. "Visiting New York City after 9/11, I felt a calling to create a piece that expressed the sadness and the anger I felt about all the people who were murdered on that day. To work through the emotions, I created several designs that lead to the creation of the steel rod sculpture, Angel of Hope that is located on the Monon Trail, just south of 52nd Street. This sculpture brought focus to the gentle and strong image of a child being held by an angel. I saw this as a symbol of hope for us and generations to come," he reflected.

"Several of my pieces can be seen in and around Indianapolis, West Lafayette and Richmond. Besides the Angel of Hope on the Monon Trail, there are eight horses in a steel plate, a fountain piece and the front entrance sculpture for the Telemon Corporation; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers plus Two Becomes One sculptures inside Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University; works at the Hoosier Salon Gallery and the Yellow Robot Walking Her Little Red Dog at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Also, I have designed the Riley Foundation large donor gift sculptures, carved a life-size Madonna with Child for St. Thomas Catholic Church and added the Starlight, Star Bright alongside the Angel of Hope on the Monon Trail," he added.

His artistic works can be also be seen at: www.creationsbypatmack.com/art. He can be contacted at: PatMack@CreationsByPatMack.com.

Patrick Mack's personal search continues as: "The essential purpose and value of my art is to deepen our own sense of humanity through a balance of form and content, to evoke our dreams, deepen our spirituality and give hope to darkness. The more powerful the representation of the form, the more powerful the questions become."