Tom Odell’s most recent public artwork, Wind Dance, has the natural effect of oxidation which behaves in some ways like paint, and in some ways like something very much alive, similar to wind.

This spring, Wind Dance, a sculpture commissioned and donated to the Town of Orleans by the Orleans Improvement Association, was installed in South Orleans at the intersection of Routes 28 and 39. Standing over thirteen feet tall, and eight feet wide, the sculpture is, Odell notes, “Four simple shapes assembled in two distinct and separate pieces.” From certain angles, Wind Dance depicts a boat’s mainsail and spinnaker, but the possible interpretations are limitless. The artist describes the parts as “partners in a dance.” Key to both its function and appearance is the chocolate brown tint of its surfaces, a patina that will gradually deepen in color for another year. “I used Corten steel, an alloy that rusts differently from other steels, forming a protective layer which stops further oxidation,” says Odell. “It’s low maintenance and the choice material for weathering.” Paul Amaral Custom Fabrications of East Providence finished the pieces in January, which were produced from Odell’s design. Odell explains, “Then we sandblasted and acid-washed them to get the rust started. Now it’s four months in.”

Part of the magic of sculpture, as an art, derives from its physical qualities, and Odell admits he has been drawn to the medium’s challenges and mysteries. “I enjoy the difficulty of three-dimensional pieces,” he says, “of successful composition, of harmony, rhythm, and the dynamic balance of form, texture and color.” Another essential aspect is light, which he explains, “creates different shapes as it falls on a sculpture, along with the resulting shadows that form on the pieces. These are different depending upon the hour, or the time of year. There are always new things going on. Because it’s so hard to figure out the shadows when making models—you can never exactly predict the final look—it’s always a kick to see a sculpture go up, to see what happens.”

The decision to choose rust for Wind Dance’s surface was both practical and in keeping with some of Odell’s artistic influences. “It’s in the Japanese wabi-sabi tradition, which emphasizes the natural patina or wear of pieces and materials,” he explains. Examples include wood, bronze, copper, and stone. Both Odell and his wife Carol, the painter with whom he has partnered in Odell’s Studio Gallery in Chatham since 1975, have found inspiration in Japanese techniques. In the late 80s, they spent a year in Kyoto creating and learning about art. “We packed up our kids, then six and nine, and I did my own jewelry and worked in a studio. That was our ‘Outward Bound’ family adventure,” he says.

In the 49th year of their gallery, the Odells continually explore as artists. Odell says, “My focus has shifted much more to sculpture, but I still enjoy making jewelry,” which he says he finds “intriguing” and a “more free kind of art,” adding, “It’s hard to make something look nice from all sides. Jewelry is more two-dimensional—brooches, pendants, bracelets all need to fit, to fall comfortably. But I do like working with all different kinds of metals. Each has its own qualities and color aspects, each handles differently.” He still works much of his jewelry in gold, yet the steep increase in prices has led him to experiment even further with Japanese copper alloys. “They’re not as costly,” he says, “but they are still expensive.”

For the first time, the Odells have invited a friend this summer to show his work alongside their own. Sculptor David Phillips recently moved to Sandwich from Cambridge where, Odell says, “He created a whole number of large public art pieces from stone and cast bronze.” “We’re trying to keep ourselves amused here,” says Odell. “Do some new things.”   

Visit odellarts.com or visit the Odell Studio and Gallery on Main Street in Chatham to view the artist’s fine metalwork. See Wind Dance in the center of the roundabout at Route 28 and 39.