Joe Wheaton’s unique sculptural designs welded from dark, oxidized brass or brilliant silver steel showcase a contradictory set of relationships; “beautiful yet menacing, “threatening yet delicate” as described by the artist. Wheaton builds his metal compositions using a language of strokes and patterns. Geometric spears, disks and quadrangles alternate with wispy, sharp edged lines that trail off quietly to an undefined point. This visual sweep can be likened to the art of calligraphy, echoing the artist’s interest in early Asian arts and ceramics, as well as printmaking.Joe Wheaton, whose studio is in Beckett, MA, has worked as a sculptor for 30 years. Most recently, he has been making sculpture and projection experiences showcased nationally, as well as creating two dimensional images taken from the projections. Artist Statement: Familiar yet strange, beautiful yet menacing, threatening yet delicate. Reaching and solid, my work traverses many contradictions. As in life, beautiful lines have sharp edges, precarious forms balance with great certainty yet are vulnerable to nature's menacing ways. I am interested in using recognizable materials and relationships in configurations that will serve to re-evaluate how one perceives what might at first seem obvious. Dark forms stand in front of their ever-changing shadows. Lines motion and engage, but are like life, elusive and mysterious.