Kevin Caron (born February 2, 1960, in

Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...

) is a

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. He has created more than 60 private and public commissioned works which are on display across the United States. Among his works are pieces on public display in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, Temple, Texas,

Avondale, Arizona Avondale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 89,334, up from 76,238 in 2010 and 35,883 in 2000. Avondale, incorporated in 1946, has experienced rapid ...

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

Surprise, Arizona Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 143,148 at the 2020 census, up from 117,517 in 2010 and just 30,848 in 2000. The city has a Aquatics Center and Maricopa County's northwest regional libra ...

and

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. He was chosen as Visual Artist of the Year in the 2018 Phoenix Mayor's Arts Awards, and his public art sculpture ''Hands On'' won 17th Annual Best of the West Arts & Culture Award for 2009. Although he began his work as an artist working in fabricated steel, Caron is also a pioneer in using 3D printing to create large scale 3D printed sculpture, using an 8-foot-tall Cerberus 3D Gigante 3D printer that he had built for him. His largest 3D-printed sculpture to date is ''Debutante,'' a more than 6-foot-tall sculpture. A 5-1/2-foot-tall sculpture, ''Epic Swoon,'' was commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers in Columbus, Ohio.

Life and career

Caron was born on February 2, 1960. He moved to Arizona with his family in 1973. He served six years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, where he worked in machine shops, and aircraft maintenance yards. He was stationed in various ports of call including Diego Garcia and

Misawa, Japan is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,093, and a population density of 330 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Misawa is the location of a large military base, Misawa Air Base, ...

. He was honorably discharged in 1983. He managed a car repair shop, and in between jobs, built his own vehicle. His career as a sculptor was inspired by his work on a privacy screen. When he had completed the screen, he visualized a fountain made from the same material. Caron became a full-time artist in 2006. As he launched his art career, he also began a YouTube channel. By February 2023, the channel had 629 videos, 99,600 subscribers and 27.5 million views. He lists M.C. Escher and Antoine Pevsner among his design inspirations. In 2012, in addition to creating metal artworks, he began working with 3D printing and now creates sculptures as tall as 6 feet using his 8-foot-tall Cerberus 3D Gigante printer.

Awards

* 2018 Visual Artist of the Year, Phoenix Mayor's Arts Awards * 2014 Sculptor of the Year, ArtTrends magazine * 2013 Sculptor of the Year, ArtTrends magazine * 2012 Sculptor of the Year, ArtTrends magazine * 2009 17th Annual Best of the West Arts & Culture Award, Westmarc, West Valley, Arizona * 2008 Juried member, Arizona Artists Guild, Phoenix, Arizona

Public and major commissions and installations

* 2020

, Banner Ocotillo Medical Center: ''Ovation.'' Oxidized and powder-coated steel, 94" x 27" x 22" * 2020 Piggot, Arkansas, Mathilda & Karl Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center, ''Stepping Out.'' Oxidized steel, 78" x 5" x 18" * 2018

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, Sterling 920 Terrace Apartment Complex: ''Cosmography.'' Powder-coated steel, 109" x 70" x 70" * 2016

, City of Surprise City Hall Complex: ''Top Knot.'' Powder-coated steel, 108" x 56" x 56" * 2015

, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts: ''Wherever You Go, There You Are.'' Steel, 108" x 120" x 26" * 2014 Jupiter, Florida, Harbourside Place: ''Giant Street Urchin.'' Powder-coated steel, 60" x 75" x 75" * 2012

, City of Chandler: ''The Seed.'' Powder-coated steel, 168" x 76" x 83" * 2012 Tucson, Arizona, Pima Community College East Campus: ''Wherever You Go, There You Are''. Steel, 96" x 96" x 24" * 2009

, City of Avondale: ''Hands On''. Steel, powder-coated steel, 168" x 145" x 146" * 2007 Avondale, Arizona, Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School: ''Bronco Brand Birch.'' Steel, 84" x 42" x 42" * 2007 Litchfield Park, Arizona, Litchfield Park Elementary School: ''Mighty Owl Oak.'' Steel, copper, 109" x 94" x 169" * 2007 Temple, Texas, City of Temple: ''Temple Falls.'' powder-coated steel, 48" x 27" x 32" * 2006 Tucson, Arizona, City of Tucson: ''Xhilaration.'' Steel, 92" x 41" x 68"

Reviews and commentary

* Rhoades, Rebecca. "Journey of Imagination," Phoenix Home & Garden (January 2019), p. 102-109. * ABC News. "The Real Rookies," ABC 20/20 (September 15, 2018), national network special. * Spanos, Litsa. "The Secrets of the Art World" (book), Blink Art Resource Press (2017) p. 224 – 227. * Dishner, Jackie

"Art Break: 3D Printing with Kevin Caron," Phoenix magazine (March 2017) p. 41. * Richman, Gabby. "Kevin Caron: The Accidental Artist." So Scottsdale (magazine) (February 2014) * D'Andrea, Niki. "Kevin Caron: Large Scale Sculptor," Phoenix magazine (January 2014)

External links

*
YouTube channel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caron, Kevin 1960 births Living people Artists from Phoenix, Arizona People from Stratford, Connecticut 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American male artists American male sculptors Sculptors from Arizona