Rusty Wolfe

“There is something cosmic, celestial about these creations. They evoke thoughts of physics, with molecular quality that captures speed and gravity” -

Rusty Wolfe : A Progression of Circle
Deborah Walden, Nashville Arts Magazine
August 2012
Nashville, Tennessee

ABOUT ME

As a self-taught artist, woodworker, designer, musician, songwriter, and entrepreneur, I have learned that the only boundaries are those that are self-imposed. Diagnosed with a severe case of dyslexia at an early age, I have realized that my disability is actually a gift, for the conventional way of learning has never been an option; I rely on my own inventiveness to show me the way. My work is a product of the ability to open new doors where both visual creativity and inventiveness come together.

This current body of work brings together my ability to work with color, wood, fabrication, design and spatial relation. Each sculpture is based on the grouping of elements to create a whole. Each individual element is hand fabricated to exacting tolerances and then finished with 14 to 16 coats of lacquer. Each element is precisely hung with a patented hanging system to ensure the engineered integrity that defines this body of work. One might say this work is magically minimal.

News and Updates

Rusty Wolfe: How Did We Get in This Place

How Did We Get in This Place is a beautifully rendered story of life in America in 2020. It urges peopleto come together. For those who are crippled by the constant barrage of often-negative news (the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest, divisive politics) this is a wakeup call! Wolfe is inviting us to reflect on current events, to see each other, to listen to each other.  The video showcases Wolfe’s many accomplishments: song writer, visual artist, community activist, story teller, and architect.  

"The Dream" represents a return to Rusty Wolfe's first love: song writing.

Returning to his roots in folk music, Wolfe abandons his commercial past for songs with a soul.  Message and content are paramount in Wolfe’s first album The Dream.  Production is centered around his unique finger-picking style and vocals.  Forty years ago, Wolfe’s first foray into music garnered great success with cuts on Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Lacy J. Dalton, Glenn Campbell, Conway Twitty, and more.  After spending most of his adult life in pursuit of the visual arts, Wolfe returned to his first love, music, in the last year.  

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

LA Art Show Modern and Contemporary - 2019
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2017, 2018
Art Miami, Miami Beach, FL, 2007
Los Angeles Art Show, Santa Monica, CA, 2007
Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach, FL, 2008, 2007
Soho Gallery, Studio City, CA, 2007
Lurie Gallery, Miami, FL, 2007
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1997 - 2008
SOFA New York, New York, NY, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2003, 2002
ARTscottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ, 2006
Emerging Art Fair, Scottsdale, AZ, 2005
Anderson Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM, 2005
Tercera Gallery, Los Gatos, CA, 2005, 2003
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY, 2003 - 2007
Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, 2005, 2004
Master Multiples, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, 2002
Black N White, BGH Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, 2003
Grids, Lewallen Contemporary, Sante Fe, NM, 2002
Palm Springs International Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA, 2002, 2001
Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA, 2002
Side by Side, Belfast Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2001
The Best of Tennessee, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN, 2001
National All-Media Exhibition, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, D.C., 2001
Confluence, 25th Annual Exhibition, Ingram, TX, 1998
New American Talent, 15th Annual, Austin, TX, 1997
Tennessee All-State Exhibition, 35th Annual, Nashville, TN, 1997
34th Annual Vague Art Exhibition, Parthenon, Nashville, TN, 1997

Kim Brooks Fine Art, Marinette, WI, 2018
SOFA - Chicago,IL, 2017
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA, 2008
Campton Gallery, New York, NY, 2007
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2007
Rice Polak Gallery, Provincetown, MA, 2007
Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, 2006, 2004, 2002
Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996
Art at El Paseo Square, Palm Desert, CA, 2005, 2004
James Tigerman Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2003
Elizabeth Edwards Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, 2002
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN, 2001
Flying Solo, Nashville International Airport, Nashville, TN, 1998

Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
Winzeler Gear, Chicago, IL
Lincoln Plating, Lincoln, NE
BellSouth, Nashville, TN
Baptist Hospital, Nashville, TN
Pinnacle Financial Group, Nashville, TN
Rising Tide Records, Nashville, TN
Technical Resource Group, Nashville, TN
B & G Wholesalers, Nashville, TN
Bacar Constructors, Nashville, TN
Harwell, Howard, Hyne, Gabbert & Manner, Nashville, TN
MTM Records, Nashville, TN
Robyn and John Horn, Little Rock, AR
Leann Rimes, Los Angeles, CA
Mrs. David Steine, Nashville, TN

Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, Honorarium, 2000

Metropolitan Home, “White On,” May - June 2003
Architectural Digest, “Art Across America,” May 2003
South Florida Times, “Rusty Wolfe: Pop Goes Minimal,” Alissa Lawrence, January 2003
Florida Design, “A Smart New Look,” October 2003
Rusty Wolfe: Off the Wall, published by Finer Things Gallery,  September 2002
Laguna Beach Times, “Rusty Wolfe is Multi-Skilled,” Roberta Carusso, January 2002
Nashville Scene, “Layers Upon Layers,” Angela Wibking,  January 2002
Rusty Wolfe: Introducing Lacquer, Published by Finer Things Gallery, July 2000
Tennessean, “Wolfe Puts a New Spin on Lacquer,” Liz Nutter, April 2000
INReview, “Solo Performance: Wolfe’s Work Flies High,” Adrienne Outlaw, November 1998
Tennessean, “All Lacquered Up,” Alan Bostick, September 1998