Artist Bio Jeff Metz was raised in Sudbury Massachusetts, graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina, and has lived in the West and Southwest for the last 25 years. Jeff began working in sculptural ceramics and stone while in high school. After college, where he earned a degree in writing and English literature, he continued his pursuit of competitive road cycling, racing throughout the U.S. on the Pro-Am circuit.Jeff revisited ceramics upon moving to Albuquerque, NM in the 1990’s, working for several years restoring and conserving pre-Columbian pottery of the American southwest. At the same time, he continued to develop work in sculptural ceramics as well as devote several years to creating Japanese-style porcelain ware utilizing the Arita method. In the early 2000’s, Jeff began to pursue stone carving in earnest in Santa Fe, NM. The physicality and discipline required over years in competitive endurance sport served as a perfect training ground for this shift to a more physically demanding medium. Equally foundational to this new direction was Jeff’s background in writing. The methodical approach required for constructing prose essays and fiction translated well into the subtractive process of stone carving. Jeff’s sculptures are designed in the moment, and over time throughout the carving process, an approach guided by a formal syntax and infused with the spirit of subconsciously led decision making. In 2010, Jeff expanded his material range with the addition of steel. Recent work occasionally merges both stone and welded steel elements which has allowed for a variation of the formal vocabulary of his stone carvings. Fabricating work in steel has also facilitated the recent creation of larger scale public works. Artist’s Statement Through the language of abstraction, I strive to conjure a familiar emotional presence in unfamiliar physical forms. My sculptural process is driven by this search for the unexpected, and plays out in an effort to transcend stone's resistance to spontaneous change.My current work focuses on generating a unique interaction between rigorous geometry and fluid movement. The inherent and essential tension which exists between these poles drives my sculptural explorations. In my studio work, the core of my process and sculpture is the sustained confrontation of ambiguity as I work toward formal resolution. I begin each sculpture with a foundational form which is a component of an eventual whole that I cannot fully apprehend. By approaching each sculpture in this way, I can integrate the nuance of the unexpected into each composition.Intimately related to this is my deeper purpose to create a series of complex interrelationships throughout a particular sculpture. My goal is to maintain the cohesion of the whole as multiple relationships unfold in a continuous, “in-the-round” flux. I am looking for synthesis and harmony, with the intention that viewers of my work can have a similar experience.All of my sculptures are hand-carved from a single block of stone. Curriculum Vitae SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS2018 Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA2017 "Common Ground: Stone, Glass, Steel", Canyon Road Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2016 Opus Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ2016 "Inside the Sculptor's Studio", Sculpturesite Gallery, Glenn Ellen, CA2016 "Bauhaus Revisited", Canyon Road Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2015 "Vernissage 2015", Sculpturesite Gallery, Glen Ellen, CA2015 SculptureWalk New Works in the Gardens, Sonoma, CA, Jan-April2015 20 Cubed, small sculpture, ABQ, NM2013 SculptureWalk New Works, Sonoma, CA, April 14 - October 172011 SculptureWalk, Cornerstone Gardens Complex, Sonoma, CA, May 1 - Sept. 302010 A New Leaf Gallery | Sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA2010 Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM2008 Spring Show, Sculpturesite Gallery Sonoma, CA2005 "Abstractions in Stone and Oil", The Factory on Fifth, Albuquerque, New Mexico2005 "Seven New Mexico Sculptors", Albuquerque, NM2004 Robert Roman Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ2004 Christin Wolf Gallery, Albuquerque, NM2003 The Scottsdale Airpark, Scottsdale, AZ2001 Juried Show, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM2000 Weyrich Gallery, Albuquerque, NM1996 "The Figure Pre-Figured", ASA Gallery, Albuquerque, NM1994 Juried Show, Kennedy Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA1992 Juried Show, Rowe Arts Gallery, The University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NCPRESS AND AWARDS2016 The Style Saloniste, San Francisco Decorator Showcase2011 Filmed interview with the Peabody Opera House, St Louis, MO, June 11, 20112011 NMA Art in Public Places purchase2009-2010 Finalist, New Mexico Art in Public Places Acclaimed Artists Series2009 The Davidson Journal, Volume 38, Fall; “Form and Content,” pp. 56-572007 Sculptural Pursuit Magazine Industry Award for Euclidean Variation no. 22005 Finalist, New Mexico Public Art Purchase Initiative2005 The Weekly Alibi, July 7-132005 The Albuquerque Journal, July 3PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONSJeff's sculpture can be found in private collections throughout the United States.2018 Presidential and Executive Suites, Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco, CA2011 Monumental commission for The Peabody Opera House, St Louis, Missouri2011 NMA Art in Public Places Program purchase, Bloomfield, New Mexico2010 Bank of America Art Collection, Boston, Massachusetts2008 Installation of large scale work, After the Iban, Tokyo JapanEDUCATIONB.A. English Literature, Davidson College, Davidson, North CarolinaStudied ceramics, The University of North CarolinaStudied sculpture and ceramics, The Massachusetts College of ArtStudied Japanese porcelain of Arita, Japan Jeff has maintained a studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2002