Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Rands.
Hi Steve, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m not a conventionally trained artist with a Bachelor’s or Master’s of Fine Arts. I’m a retired Navy pilot, with an engineering degree, 5 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, now pursuing my true purpose in the practice of sculpture in metal, stone and wood.
Upon finishing high school, I applied to art schools, but was scared off by the prospect of massive student loan debt and feeling that, as a 17-year-old kid, I had nothing significant to say as an artist. Instead I chose the next, most logical option, and enlisted in the US Navy. Mostly, I was driven by the need to cut my own path, and get on with life. I started in the Navy as a Nuclear Propulsion Plant Operator, eventually got a scholarship to attend Purdue University and obtain a Mechanical Engineering degree. Upon graduating, I was commissioned as a Naval Officer, attended flight school, ultimately flying H-60 Seahawk helicopters throughout my career.
After retiring from the Navy in 2017, I started a general metal fabrication business in Maryland. We did everything from designing & fabricating handrails for the oldest Catholic diocese in the country, founded in 1661, to subcontract work supporting defense contracts at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Along the way, there were several projects that required creative design, allowing me to re-engage my creative roots. The successful reception of those projects encouraged me to further pursue creative work.
In 2022, after my wife retired from the US Forest Service as a wildland firefighter, we decided to relocate back to her hometown of Lawrence, KS so we could provide care for her parents, who are still in the same house where she grew up. That move, halfway across the country, presented the opportunity to focus my work on sculpture.
My new business, Steve Rands Art LLC is a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have yet to meet an artist who would say their road has been smooth, and my experience is no different. I started the metal fabrication business, as a partnership, in January of 2019, and at its height we had 5 full time employees. We certainly felt the impact of COVID, and were able to survive with help from the SBA relief programs, like PPP and EIDL loans. Unfortunately, a situation that required the business to vacate its original site was much more detrimental to the financial standing than COVID was. Finding a new industrial space proved impossible in a region where such space was in high demand by major defense contractors. On the bright side, the relocation requirement enabled the decision to move to Lawrence, and the opportunity for me to focus on sculpture.
I’d built some good momentum in the DC area, developing opportunities and supporters for the more creative sculptural work. Following the move, I’ve been working to rebuild a network and following in the KC area. Its been a different kind of a struggle here, admittedly. The DC area, with its high-density artist population, prioritized support for local artists by restricting funding for public art projects to local artists. The thinking being that when local, public funds are used for local, public projects, it should support local artists. Here in the KC area, I’ve noticed that many public art projects do not seem to prioritize local artists to the same degree. The priority here seems to be on elevating the city’s standing by bringing in works from established national and international artists. I’d like to see an alignment on elevating the region’s status by elevating its artists. KC is known for its jazz history, its professional sports dynasties, and has every reason to put its resources into elevating its local artistic talent to the same degree.
In my own pursuit to growing my network here, I’ve found the following helpful resources. Locally, the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s – Artist INC program (https://artistinc.art/), ArtsKC (https://artskcgo.com/), and the Charlotte Street Foundation (https://charlottestreet.org/). Nationally, the US Veterans’ Artists Alliance (https://usvaa.org/), the National Veterans Art Museum (https://www.nvam.org/), and the Art Students League of New York (https://www.artstudentsleague.org/).
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My practice uses technology to design and visualize projects, that I then fabricate using processes and tools of the vanishing skilled trades. I believe that modern technology, like AI and CAD/CNC, can be utilized alongside those skills passed down from graybeard craftsmen to produce a greater product than either alone. Essentially, technology can ENHANCE the artisan trades, rather than replace and render them obsolete.
I work in metal, stone, and wood to produce large scale installation sculpture by commission. I’ve had installations for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Port of Leonardtown Winery, and the Sandy Spring Museum – all in the Washington, DC area. There have also been a few commissions to create custom trophies / awards for ExxonMobil, The Alkaline Water Company/Sports Illustrated Awards, and Leashes of Valor. I’ve also been a featured artist for the Kansas Historical Society where I’ve produced a series of bowls from the copper sheetmetal salvaged from the roof of the Kansas State Capitol, that are sold at the Capitol gift shop.
The techniques I’ve researched and employ are: stone carving (primarily in marble and limestone), welding, repousse, chasing, hand-shaping and wheeling of sheetmetal, manual milling and lathe turning of steel, aluminum, stainless steel and copper. Additionally, my engineering and technical background allows me to incorporate use of Computer Aided Design, CNC manufacturing, 3D printing and 3D scanning to enhance the design of my work.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My first memory of realizing I had some artistic talent came from winning a Jack O’ Lantern drawing contest in second grade. I can’t quite remember who judged the contest (I want to say it was the fifth grade class), but I definitely remember the prize – a spherical Rubik’s cube.
Pricing:
- Available for commercial and private commissions.
Contact Info:
- Website: steverandsart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steverandsart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steverandsart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rands/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SteveRandsArt
