The Princeton Art Guild is showcasing stainless steel free-form sculptor John Toras through the end of October.
Art Guild Director Melissa Peek says Toras designs and builds unique pieces of sculpture that utilize light, sound, motion, and texture with stainless steel as his primary medium. She adds he uses stainless steel because of its all-weather properties and because of its ability to retain its high luster and versatility of texture.
According to Peek, Toras was born in November 1949 in Evergreen, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. After his tour of duty in Vietnam for the U.S. Air Force, Toras started welding ornamental iron. In 1974, he was employed by Proctor & Gamble and became a certified welder. When the Chicago plant closed in 1990, Toras was transferred to the Ivorydale Plant in Cincinnati. She says Toras has been a welder in iron and stainless steel for over 45 years.
Toras welded his first stainless steel work of art in 1976 and has experimented through the years with many different techniques and subjects trying to stay stainless steel specific. In some of his sculptures, Peek says he uses accents of stained glass, marble and granite to create unique and interesting original pieces of art. She adds some of his pieces create the impression of movement while being stationary and others use wind power to create movement. As one of his many accomplishments, Toras won the “Best of Show – Sculpture” award at the 2005 Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park Show in Hamilton, Ohio.
Twenty-three of Toras’ outdoor sculptures are on exhibit at Discovery Park of America Museum & Heritage Park in Union City, Tennessee.
Peek says the Princeton Art Guild will host a reception to honor Toras and his work on Saturday afternoon, September 18 from 1:30 until 3:00 at the Guild House. The public is invited and light refreshments will be served.
The Princeton Art Guild is open to the public Tuesdays – Fridays, 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is no admission fee to come and see what the Guild has on exhibit.
