Have you seen sculpture work around town that looks like tentacles dancing in the wind? More than likely that’s a work by Dave Caudill (caudillart.com). He is such a fan of the swaying line that it has become his signature.
LEO: What type of artist are you? Dave Caudill: For the last 25-plus years, I have been primarily a sculptor, working on larger-scale, outdoor, stainless steel pieces and smaller bronze works. These sculptures are lyrical pieces of visual music, filled with rhythm and harmony. But for the last few years, I've been working also in [two dimensions] on images that are [a] spontaneous play with color.
What are you working on now? “Odyssey,” a meditative labyrinth — not a maze — in the shape of a fingerprint, celebrating individuality for pilgrims both secular and religious, for placement in the Louisville area. The three paths will be wheelchair accessible, and covered with colorful terrazzo patterns that evolve as one walks toward the center. The design will be a dramatic public artwork, [half] the size of a football field, when I find the right sponsor. I have an unruly imagination, so I’m also building colorful outdoor pieces for landscape and garden, like the ones currently at Hidden Hill [Nursery and Sculpture Garden].
What is the largest display of your work at one time? “The Bolivian Odyssey” at Ars Naturs Uta, near La Paz. It’s a labyrinth one-fourth the scale of a football field.
What's on your art bucket list? My eyes are pretty hungry — there is so much I’d like to see that I expect to be intrigued and happy for the rest of my life. During the coming years, I will be working on other artworks dealing with identity.
What is something most people do not know about you? My chronological age is 66, but my mental age is probably about 24.
