Three things in this piece. A pattern made from my own drawings. A photograph of a strange tree near Painted Canyon near the Salton Sea. And the color bits — that’s actually a photo of my daughter’s toys sitting on a sofa in a hotel room on vacation.
I’ve been thinking about how patterns work. The ones we make without thinking. In music. In nature. The ones that start forming in childhood before we even know what we’re doing.
Moving more into sculpture this year. This one’s part of that. It’s called “Inheritance.”
Made a table a few years back. Did my 3D “thing” to it and put resin over the top. Someone asked if it was art or furniture. Both :)
Building a light fixture now. It’ll have an acrylic panel with a tree on it. The light will move through the branches into the room. Nature has a way of showing us who we are — I just try not to get in the way of that.
Rob Grad @rob_grad is in the first show @blue_and_the_muse curated by @lovewildbefree founders @juicymaggie@giltepper !!! We can’t wait! 5/9 6-10pm
Grad’s work has been exhibited in Basel, Miami, and Los Angeles, including at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California, as part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time initiative. He has created large-scale installations at San Francisco Airport, the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome, and corporate sites including Zildjian and Wells Fargo’s Brentwood building.
Years ago someone offered me a record deal. I said no. Then the owner of the label also wanted to manage me as a producer. I said no. Seems ludicrous in hindsight. I was holding out for something bigger. I had this rigid image of who I was and the life I thought I wanted — and anything that didn’t match the picture got cut. I was holding on so tight I couldn’t see what I was turning away. I try to say yes more often now.
The past doesn’t have to predict the future. You’re allowed to be fluid.
#art #sculpture #mojave
This one came out of a commission and, as usual, took me somewhere I didn’t expect. It’s called “Parallel Tides.”
I love commissions because the constraints always push me into new territory. This piece became two profiles facing each other in a sea of blue energy — like two souls moving in parallel through the same current.
Really happy with how it turned out.
If you’re thinking about a custom piece for your space, feel free to DM me. I’d love to hear what you have in mind 😎
#RobGrad #CommissionArt #CustomArt #paralleltides
This is a clip from ‘Reseda Blvd’ — a song about growing up in the San Fernando Valley.
The north side of the boulevard was my escape spot as a kid. When things at home weren’t great, I’d go there to think, breathe, and dream bigger than the “armpit of LA” suburbs around me.
I shot this video alone one night after my daughter went to sleep. Drove out with a tripod and camera, chasing the memory. The street wasn’t the same. The hill felt smaller. The view wasn’t as dramatic. Funny how time and perspective change everything.
Still, the song ends with the same stubborn hope: keep dreaming, keep going, even after the failures pile up.
Layered memories turned into sound.
What’s your escape spot these days?
This song is on all the streaming services and I’ll put the Youtube link in the comments.
#robgrad #resedablvd #layeredmemories #acoustic
This one started as a commission piece that didn’t end up getting used — happens sometimes, and I’m actually glad it did.
Sometimes the constraints of a custom project push me into places I wouldn’t have gone otherwise. This one made me dive into Art Deco way more than I’d ever gone. I got fascinated by how that style came out of wanting structure and hope after World War I, and how its roots stretch all the way back to Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient symbols. All that history ended up layered into these bold circles and patterns you see here.
It’s a reminder that sometimes the best discoveries come from working inside someone else’s box.
Calling it Echoes of Tomorrow for now.
What do you see when you look at it? Curious what jumps out at you.
Meet Twisted Grace — my newest sculpture.
Big looping form that feels both tough and graceful at the same time. Been thinking a lot about how life’s twists end up shaping us.
Still tweaking it, but I’m pretty excited about this one.
What’s your take?
#twistedgrace #RobGrad #NewSculpture
