New exhibit at Johnson Center features two artists’ ‘3-D’ works

A dual exhibition of two renowned Southern sculptors opened Wednesday at the Johnson Center for the Arts in downtown Troy.

Larry Godwin of Brundidge and Duane Paxson of Troy are the featured artists in the “2 Men 3-D” exhibition that will run through July 23.

An artists’ reception will be held from 2 until 4 p.m. Sunday and the public is invited come view the exhibition and visit with Godwin and Paxson.

Richard Metzger, Johnson Center executive director, said this exhibition brings two distinctively different, but equally outstanding, sculptors together for one of the most interesting and exciting exhibits of sculpture that can be found anywhere.

Paxson, an adjunct professor in Troy University’s Center for Art & Design, creates large organic sculptures in wood and Fiberglas. He combines segmented trees, vines, ceramic, steel and resin sources to indicate encumbered forms.

“The creation of the initial form is calculated and controlled,” Paxson said. “After that, the materials themselves lead to the final surface on the piece. The use of materials applied in a direct and unforced manner reveals the vitality and struggle of natural forms in isolated space.

“The wood, ceramic, steel and resin surfaces create an intricate, sometimes even an involuted finish for my simple, uncompromising forms.”

Godwin’s sculptures are done in heavy bronze, steel, copper, aluminum, concrete and even plywood.

His “Infinity” sculpture has 92 sections that can be interchanged.

“Nothing complicated mathematically, it can just be assembled in different ways,” Godwin said.

“I like for my sculptures to have power, to express some force,” Godwin said. “What is, at first, recognizable may, in abstract, take on a greater meaning – have a greater impact.”

As an example, one of Godwin’s sculptures looks somewhat like a weather vane.

“People often ask about the ‘weather vane” and I tell them to look closer at the title,” Goodwin said. It’s ‘Whether vain or what not.’ Different meaning altogether.”

The summer hours for the Johnson Center for the Arts are from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday.

As always, there is no admission charge to the art center.