Patterns in Nature
Patterns in nature are often arranged in what mathematicians call the Fibonacci sequence. This pattern of intervals, which can be found in flowers, trees and shells, is known to please the eye. Created by the earth, Fibonacci sequencing has made for reliable design since the days of pre-history.
Maybe that’s why Fred Gearhart likes it.
The Cleveland Heights sculptor works in wood, clay and cast metal, but he especially embraces stone. His sculpture “Fibonacci’s Spire” uses both the mathematical sequencing of its title and long-lived material — limestone — to allude to lasting beauty.
That artwork and Gearhart’s granite candleholder, “Candlestone,” are part of the PNC SmartHome art collection. RED DOT Project installed the work of 14 regional artists in the home on the grounds of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Works featured, along with selected furnishings from the home, will be sold Oct. 9.
Gearhart is one of the SmartHome artists who address sustainability through selection of materials.
“Most of the stone I carve, especially for garden sculpture, comes from the waste piles of stone fabricators,” he says. “Curb stones, foundation stones and old monuments have also been used as material.”
Formally, Gearhart’s work is inspired by the human figure. Lately he has been working in ovoid forms, too, and mixing limestone with steel. “As the metal rusts in an outdoor environment, it patinates the stone,” he says.
Gearhart was introduced to stonework in 1986, when he took a carving class by sculptor Larry Fox.
“That was a life-changing experience for me,” he says. “Half an hour into the first session, I knew this was what I must do.”
Art, for Gearhart, is the stuff of life. “I need to make art about as much as I need oxygen.”
