“I strive to make the sculpture appear gestural, light, and airy belying the heavy, industrial qualities of the steel. I have used parts of bridges, train gears, window frames, gears, and containers of all sorts. I juxtapose whimsical pieces with geometric and utilitarian parts to make a cognitive whole.” – Carole Eisner
Carole Eisner is best known for her large-scale, monumental sculptures that make their homes in public outdoor spaces. Among parks, museums, waterfronts, and the like, Eisner’s sculptures engage with the space and the natural light of their surroundings, which is often reflected off of lacquered metal. Eisner uses materials sourced from found objects like rusted recycled steel and scraps of old bridges, which are reassembled and welded into new forms. In all of her sculptures, small or large scale, Eisner explores the malleability of her materials by twisting and restructuring iron, steel, and various scrap metals into abstracted elegant forms, all by way of her welding torch.
One of these sculptures, Skipper, which is presently at Vet’s Park in Norwalk, has been selected to be constructed, with some additions, in China. It will be about double the present size and will be placed at a waterfront park in Suzhou, China.
Eisner works from a studio attached to her home in Weston, Connecticut, though she splits her time between Weston and New York City and defines herself as a lifelong New Yorker.
“To start a sculpture, I scan my own scrap heap and choose 2 or 3 pieces that really want to be together. I begin by joining these pieces and develop the sculpture from there. Often the objects themselves suggest a direction to follow. I usually don’t sketch in advance. My process is more an assemblage, rather than a pre-formed idea.” – Carole Eisner
