Kimmy Cantrell discovered his artistic vision in high school when he fell in love with clay in an art class. After his first hand-built vase was chosen for display at the local board of education, his teacher suggested he study art in college. Instead he decided to study business at Georgia State University and spent fifteen years in distribution management. In 1991 he accepted a job in Tifton, a small rural town four hours south of Atlanta. It was there, after almost twenty years, he decided to reconnect with clay. First there were vases, then bowls with faces, leading to clay pieced collages. The self-taught evolution of his art continues today.
Kimmy Cantrell enjoys developing fresh variations on several recurring themes: faces, still lifes, nudes and fish. Kimmy uses many forms to tell his stories, from free standing sculptures to still life collages. He uses asymmetry to challenge traditional definitions of beauty. “I want to show the beauty within flaws,” he explains. “Imperfections tell stories that are far more compelling than perfection.”
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Sculptor Kimmy Cantrell is known for colorful ceramic masks depicting expressive asymmetrical faces with exaggerated eyes and whimsical features. Cantrell uses his art as a way to challenge traditional European conceptions of beauty. After a 20 year career in business, Cantrell reconnected with his sculpting practice in 1994 and has worked as a professional artist ever since. He is self taught, and his style draws inspiration from the folk art of William Edmondson as well as from Cubism. Cantrell also creates mixed-media collages and still lifes from clay and metal.
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