For sculptor Herb Babcock, art is more than just aesthetically pleasing decorations that provide finishing touches to a home or office.
‘Art is metaphorical stepping stones to take people places,? said the 61-year-old Oxford Township resident, who’s section chair of the glass department at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, where he’s been a professor since 1974.
Babcock blends glass, stone and metal (steel or bronze) to create sculptures designed to inspire thoughts and communicate ideas without words.
‘Before there were words, there was just visual communication,? he said.
His art is not simply about acquiring and owning an inanimate object, it’s about living with and interacting with the piece as if it were a person, even a member of the family.
‘As an artist, I think one of the greatest compliments is when people talk about the thing as if it’s just another joyful experience in their life,? Babcock said.
One of Babcock’s sculptures, called ‘Torso,? is currently on display in downtown Birmingham at the corner of Old Woodward and Oakland, just north of Maple.
‘Torso? is part of the CityScapes program and will be out there for everyone to see and enjoy for about a year.
Visitors to Detroit’s new MGM Grand Hotel will soon be able to view five of Babcock’s recently-completed sculptures in an area dubbed ‘the living room,? located near the lobby.
The sculptures, created in Babcock’s cluttered studio on S. Glaspie St. in the village, are part of what he calls the ‘pillared series,? in which the contrasting materials are combined to form a hierarchy of shapes. Brilliantly colored glass discs sit perched atop twisted metal shapes and smooth stones.
‘It’s about precarious balance,? he said. ‘It looks like it’s ready to fall, but yet it has a sense of balance.?
Each sculpture in the pillared series is about depicting the ‘essence of stance? (the way a person stands) without showing an actual person.
‘We have a natural tendency as humans that when we see certain shapes, we will automatically try to see them as a person,? Babcock said. ‘I make (the sculptures) abstract enough that they’re not actually seeing a head or a torso. They’re seeing the idea of poise, the idea of stance.?
Even though he added steel and stone to his sculptures during the 1980s, Babcock’s first love will always be glass. ‘Glass is very seductive,? he said. ‘I love the fluidity of glass. Just by breathing air into the blow pipe, all of a sudden a shape comes into being.?
Unlike metal and stone which utilize reflected light and shadow as elements of the sculpture, glass has the ability to allow the passage of light through it adding a whole other dimension.
‘We mostly see the world in terms of reflected light and shadow. That’s the primary pallet for sculptors,? Babcock said. ‘By adding glass, I just expand the palette.?
Babcock began his artistic career as a clay modeler for an auto company after graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1969
In 1973, he earned his master’s degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills and later went to work as head of the CCS glass program. Backcock spends 18 hours a week teaching three classes ? glass blowing, casting/sculpture and major studio, which helps students determine how they wish to approach glass in terms of a career.
Babcock enjoys bringing out students? ‘personal desires and strengths? and trying to ‘couple those with techniques.?
‘Watching that evolution? and ‘seeing where (students) go with it after they go out the door? is for Babcock ‘one of the major rewards of teaching.?
Babcock urges budding young artists to have ‘confidence? in themselves and the idea of earning a living off their talent.
‘A lot of kids with visual talent may not think it’s adequate for a career,? he said. ‘But there are a number of jobs and careers that allow a visual person to be engaged as an artist.?
‘A lot of people don’t realize the impact of visual communication on our culture, how much they confront every day,? Babcock noted.
Those wishing to view more of Babcock’s work can find it locally at the Habatat Gallery at 44 Fernlee Ave. in Royal Oak. For more information visit www.habatat.com.
Babcock’s talent can also be viewed at Detroit’s Campus Martius Park. He created glass panels for the park’s two 22-foot corner markers. The Monroe Marker represents arts and culture, whereas the Woodward Maker represents industry and technology.