Ken Rausch uses traditional techniques learned from painting and works a step further by creating exciting, richly colored works on wavy copper and stainless-steel surfaces. His process involves using heat and acid etching, along with special paints and clear coating to create original contemporary wall sculptures that are iridescent and beautiful. He also uses specialized grinding tools to create texture and depth that gives the illusion of movement as the viewer takes it in from different angles. The topcoat is a multi-layered resin that gives a glassy glass like look to each piece, resulting in a wall sculpture that takes on a personality of its own as the light hits the surface.
“It’s always a play between the 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional,” Rausch says. While he studied painting at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, he discovered his love of sculpture and working with mixed media as he grew and experimented as an artist. “My pieces now reflect that evolution and are both paintings and sculpture at the same time.”
“Patterns and textures can be played with. There is an arsenal of components that can fit together in different ways and it always results in something truly special and unique,” he says. Rausch is never bored with his work and looks at each piece as a means of discovery and what is possible. “I enjoy the resistance and challenge that metal provides. It is a canvas that is organic and changing. It breathes a life into the piece that cannot be created with other media.”
Ken Rausch grew up in Ohio and graduated with honors from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. His metal works can be found in numerous private and corporate collections and select fine art galleries throughout North America.