About
About the Artist
Not so very long ago, I was a carpenter and cabinetmaker. At the age of 50, I had the opportunity to make a change in my life and I chose to begin sculpting. My formal art education has included just a handful courses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a few workshops at the Sloss Furnace and at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Overall, my most rewarding learning experiences have been under the mentorship of the late Cordray Parker, one of Birmingham’s best-known and well-respected bronze sculptors. As a result of this experience, I have been able to explore the nuances of mold making, casting and pouring bronze using the lost-wax method in a relatively short apprenticeship.
In addition, I have to acknowledge the influence of my artist-family — my brothers, my sisters as well as my late father, Charles Umlauf, a famous sculptor in his own right. I grew up in a home filled with life-size renditions of religious icons, studies of animals, figure studies and images drawn from Greek mythology. Although art was an integral part of my early life, only now in my latter years have I begun to try out my ideas in bronze, ceramics, wood and stone (marble, alabaster, honeycomb calcite). My strong work ethic has allowed me to fully invest myself in my artwork. I have even surprised myself by what I have been able to achieve starting with clay, wax or rough stone. Like my father, I prefer figurative work of the female form and compositions representing the family, as well as abstractions drawn from the medium itself.
Artist’s Statement
When I look at the raw material, clay, wood or a stunning piece of alabaster, I take in the integrity and images within the material. The artist’s challenge is to take full advantage of the natural beauty of the materials and transform it into an emotive figure. The artist must maintain the strength of that natural state and imbue the new object with an esthetic value that is both tactile and visual.
One of the hallmarks of my work is that I am solely responsible for every step in the preparation of a sculpture. Many artists have contracts with bronze foundries to prepare molds, pour the bronze and apply patina finishes to their work. Others employ stone workers to rough out or polish marble or alabaster figures. These steps are tedious and labor intensive. However, I enjoy the labor and the creative demand of sculpting in marble, bronze and wood. In the end, the viewer is certain that every stroke and every mark is intentional and serves to convey my purpose.
Selected Shows and Professional Experience
Descendants Show
Karl, Lynn, Madelon,Arthur
Umlauf Sculpture garden and Museum
Oct 28th 2010 — Jan 28th
Work on view at following galleries
Bryant Galleries, New Orleans, LA
Four Seasons Antiques and Art, Homewood, AL
Black wood Gallery, Springville, AL
Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA
Umlauf Gallery, 550 Shades Crest Road, Hoover, AL
Stray Art Salon, Birmingham Al
2010
Featured Artist Stray Art Salon, Birmingham Al
One Man Show Comer Museum, Sylacauga, Al
Botanical Gardens (Stray Artists Group Show ) B’ham, Al
Shelby County Arts Council (Stray Art Croup Show)
2009
Stray Art Salon, Primary Artist, Hoover, AL
The Club (Stray Artists Group) Birmingham, AL
Lite Box Gallery, Holiday Show, Birmingham, AL
Four Seasons Antiques and Art, (Featured Artist – November), Homewood, AL
Commission - Touch Someone for all the elementary schools in Hoover AL
2008
Bryant Galleries, New Orleans, LA (Gallery Artist)
Featured Artist – October, Four Seasons Antiques and Art Gallery, Homewood, AL
September Artists Show, Jennifer Harwell Gallery, Homewood, AL
Alabama’s Finest, Gadsden Museum of Art, Gadsden, AL (one-man show)
The 2 Man Show, Soon-Bok Lee Sellers Art Gallery, Hoover, AL
Winter Arts Fair, Hoover Arts Alliance, Hoover, AL
2007
Blackwood Gallery, Springville, AL (Gallery Artist)
Jennifer Harwell Gallery, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
Art Walk, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
Gadsden Museum of Art, Gadsden, AL, (Juried Show) 2nd place & purchase award
Magic City Art Connection, Birmingham, AL (Juried Festival)
Creative Visions in Motion, Four Seasons Gallery, Homewood, AL (2 person show)
Bi- State Art Competition, Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS (Juried show)
BAA Gallery, AmSouth Harbert Center, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
Art Alley, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
Four Seasons Antiques & Art Gallery, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
The Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA (Gallery Artist)
2006
Art Alley, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
Art Walk, Birmingham, AL
Four Seasons Antiques & Art, Hoover, AL (Gallery Artist) Artist of the Month - July, 2006
Homewood Library Gallery (June, 2006), Homewood, AL
Arts Alive – 20th Annual Juried Show, Florence, AL
Birmingham Art Association, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show) 2 pieces
AmSouth Harbert Center, Birmingham, AL
One-man show, AmSouth Harbert Center, Birmingham AL
Featured Artist of the Month (March 2006), Birmingham Magazine, Birmingham, AL
Art Auction 2006, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
The Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA (Gallery Artist)
Gallery 2306, Birmingham, AL (Gallery Artist)
2005
Gallery 2306, Birmingham, AL (one-man show)
The Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA (Gallery Artist)
Art Walk, Birmingham, AL (Juried Festival)
National View at Grandview, Atlanta Arts Center, Atlanta, GA (Juried Show)
13th Southeast Regional Fine Arts Exhibition, Fort Walton Beach, FL (Juried Show)
Animals in Art, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (International Juried Show)
Southern Roots, Academy of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
2nd & 3rd place award – Sculpture.
Exhibition, South Tennessee Valley Art Center, Tuscumbia, AL (Juried Show)
Birmingham Art Association, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
3rd place award – Sculpture
42nd Annual Bluff Park Art Show, Hoover, AL (Juried Show)
2004
Jubilee Cultural Arts Alliance Atlanta GA, (Juried Show) Art Excellence Award
The Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA (Gallery Artist)
Art by the Lake, Deerwood Lake, AL
41st Annual Bluff Park Art Show, Hoover, AL (Juried Show)
Garden Party Gala, Alzheimer’s Association, Birmingham, AL
Southern Roots, Alabama Academy of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
3rd place award – Sculpture
Arts Alive, Kennedy–Douglas Center for the Arts, Florence AL (Juried Show)
Bi-State Art Competition, Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS (Juried Show)
Open House Studio and Gallery 550 Shades Crest, Hoover AL
2003
40th Annual Bluff Park Art Show, Hoover, AL (Juried Show)
Art by the Lake, Deerwood Lake, AL
Garden Party Gala, Alzheimer’s Association, Birmingham, AL
Featured Artist, Birmingham Art Review, June 2003 (premier issue)
Southern Roots, Alabama Academy of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
1st place award – Sculpture
Membership Show – Birmingham Art Association Gallery, (Juried Show)
1st and 2nd place award – Sculpture
Open House Studio and Gallery 550 Shades Crest, Hoover AL
2002
Southern Roots, Alabama Academy of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL (Juried Show)
3rd place Award in Sculpture
Artist Interview, “The Other Side” WEAB-TV, Birmingham, AL
Garden Party Gala – Alzheimer’s Association, Birmingham, AL
Annual Members Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery (Juried Show)
Board Member, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Open House Studio and Gallery 550 Shades Crest, Hoover AL
2001 – 2002
President, Birmingham Art Association
2001
One and Two Dimensions II – 2 person show Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Winter Members Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Spring Members Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Garden Party Gala, Alzheimer’s Association, Birmingham, AL
Membership Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery (Juried Show)
Featured Artist (September, 2001), Birmingham Magazine
Bronze Artists Exhibition, Durbin Gallery, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL
Fall Membership Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
2000
One and Two Dimensions – 2 person show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Artist of the Month (April 2000), Shelby County Library, Shelby, AL
Garden Party Gala, Alzheimer’s Association, Birmingham, AL
Spring Members Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery
Membership Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery (Juried Show)
Board Member, Birmingham Art Association
1999
Membership Show, Birmingham Art Association Gallery (Juried Show)
Women’s Shelter Gala, Alabama Theater, Birmingham, AL
1997
Visual Arts Gallery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Juried Student Show
1996
Visual Arts Gallery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Juried Student Show