Andrew Leroy Jensen is a sculptor, painter, and general maker of things.
In 2020, Jensen will graduate from Grand View University in Des Moines, IA with his BA in Studio Art. While in school, Jensen found that he could use his skills in the theatre to fabricate sets and props. Jensen has worked as a set builder for a variety of plays at the Grand View Theatre, also at Class Act Productions and the Iowa Stage Theatre. Stage craft and design have helped Jensen find an outlet for his art and pushed his studio work in new directions. Jensen lives in Des Moines and is opening a studio in Stratford, Iowa.
Artist Statement
I am a dumpster diver. It has always amazed me what people throw away. I take what other people find useless and I make it useful in large scale sculptures. These discarded, disposable objects create sculptures demanding importance and attention.
Fire, metal, and wood are elements of industry. They are raw and organic. This dual nature is what I showcase in my work. I, like all people, have multiple sides to my personality. I struggle with bringing all the aspects of myself into agreement with one another. The Dionysian elements, that of excess and freedom, are at war with the Apollonian elements, order and restraint, within me. Using natural logs to build geometric shapes and bending metal into organic forms is how I go about dealing with this conflict.
I work with metal and wood, because of the physicality that goes into manipulating them. The act of swinging a hammer, ripping into something with a saw, or wrestling to move things into place is exhausting. This is the exhaustion of creation, of labor, of life itself. There is something inherently satisfying when I step back, sweat dripping and muscles sore, to see what I made knowing I put everything I am into it. Fire is another thing that I use to change my materials. Working with fire always adds a bit of chance, which gives the work a life of its own. Whether it is heating metal to stick two pieces together, bending and hammering metal into a new shape, or burning a piece of wood to change the color and texture. Fire is a tool of change.
I like to leave my pieces rough and unfinished, as far as removing tool marks go. I feel it is important for the viewer to see the way the material has been worked. So many wonderful textures are lost when one files and sands things smooth.
Artist Resume/ CV
Education:
BA, Grandview University Des Moines, IA (pending graduation Dec. 2020)
Awards and Honors:
Exhibition:
Senior Thesis Exhibition (Oct. 26-Dec. 4 2020)
Productions:
Oklahoma Jr. Feb.-Mar. 2020, Class Act Productions Theatre, Altoona, IA- Technical Director
Baggage, Mar. 2020, Viking Theatre, Grandview University, Des Moines, IA- Set Builder, Props Crew
Wild Widow Poke, Feb. 2020, Viking Theatre, Grandview University, Des Moines, IA- Technical Director
A Christmas Carol, Dec. 2019, Iowa Stage Theatre, Des Moines, IA- Set Builder
Metamorphoses, Nov. 2019, Viking Theatre, Grandview University, Des Moines, IA- MasterCarpenter, Actor
Andrew Leroy Jensen Studio Workshop 