Josh Urso
 “Foundation – Green”, shattered and reassembled concrete block with acrylic paint, 3″D x 8″ W x 16″H 2022, $925.00

Nature and specifically the strata of geology inspires my work.  I’m attempting to capture and convey the beauty of rock and soil through the use of concrete, ston
e, and pigment.  My inspiration comes not only from the macro of canyons and riverbeds but also the micro of dried mud and aggregate.
I hope to preserve my personal memory of encounters with these elements, even as erosion, climate change, and other manmade and natural forces erase them.I have also had a love of materials since college and a desire to explore purely sculptural forms.  These concrete pieces represent a fascination with process and the immediacy of cast concrete, but also a wanting to create monumental forms out of commonplace materials.
In addition to the natural world, I draw inspiration and techniques from both the art world and the more humble building trades – fabricating precise molds, blending concrete and aggregate mixtures to effect surface texture and weight, sculpting the work with the powerful blows of a hammer and chisel, and finishing the pieces with pigments to highlight elements of the design.
I have always enjoyed bisecting the geometric form with the fluidity of line.  This can be seen through cracked concrete and stone as well as through chisel.