BY FRITTS CAUSBY
Heartseed Gardens
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The Amazing Scale of Tom Risser’s Life and Work
Presenting the life
and work of Tom Risser
with clarity and accu-racy
is an intimidating
CARVI N G A N E W PATH
proposition. To put it
simply, this sculpture
artist/entrepreneur/
engineer/skateboarder
has a lot of irons in the
fire and a seemingly
endless supply of energy.
The idea that a work
of art is a gift an artist
bestows for the world to
enjoy is on full display
at Risser’s legacy project,
Heartseed Gardens.
Located on 80 acres
near Liberty Hill, South Carolina, it features more than 75 of his
sculptures, connected by miles of walking trails and set against a
backdrop of pine trees and native forest.
The centerpiece of the property is a 13,000-square-foot concrete
skate park designed and almost entirely hand built by Risser.
“We bought 80 acres in the middle of nowhere South Carolina
to allow a creative space to expand, to provide a gift to the world, if
you will,” Risser says. “I envisioned this as a sculpture park project
that I could spend a few decades creating, and then sharing with
the public.”
Most of his work is composed of welded metal, concrete and
mortar, though Risser also enjoys taking photos, painting and
working in graphic design. His art is informed and inspired by his
career as a professional engineer designing packaging machines,
background as a skateboarder, and experience as the owner of
Charlotte-based U.S. Bottlers Machinery Company, a family
owned and operated business that stretches back four generations.
“This was certainly inspired by the sculpture parks springing up
around the country — especially impacted by my visit to Brook-green
Above: Tom Risser welds a sculpture in his studio circa 2006. Opposite: An untitled
piece, built of sheet metal in 2010, stands 15 feet tall.
Gardens,” Risser says. “In fact, my first figurative piece was
named after that amazing place.”
Whereas the sculptures at Brookgreen Gardens portray human
march 2021 26
WBM
and animal forms in a
realistic fashion, most
of Risser’s work is more
abstract. Some of his
creations showcase
his ability to achieve
realism, some are more
symbolic, some have a
story to tell, and some
are just organic forms
that evolved from the
materials and settings in
which they were made.
“Metal is always my
go-to for scale and
power; a medium I
explore without intim-idation
or boredom,”
Risser says. “Here I can build small or mammoth, whimsical or
intense, figurative or abstract. I can place a polished concrete
sphere next to a life-size texting T-Rex and it feels fine.”
The work he is referencing is composed of a large number of
metal pieces welded together. An approximately 6-and-a-half foot
tall adolescent T-Rex is walking through the woods, face down
in his phone. It is hard to imagine the piece striding through the
more traditional Brookgreen Gardens, though it would be fun to
see it there.
“This place is magical in some ways,” Risser says. “It allows the
creativity to be unlimited by rules or critics — and lets me use
everything from scrap metal left over at work to tires I find on the
roadside.”
Conversely, some of the placements and themes evident in Riss-er’s
art are clearly reminiscent of the sculptures at Brookgreen.
The approximately 12-foot-tall depiction of Mother Nature hold-ing
a lightning bolt is a great example. Set on a cleared hilltop, it is a
singular piece of the landscape, commanding everything in sight.
“You don’t want to be here when a storm is approaching,” laughs
Risser, referring to the fact that the sculpture comprises hundreds,
or possibly even thousands, of tiny pieces of scrap metal welded
together.
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DAISY RISSER