Jason Mehl does not stay in one place very long. However, Saturday he will be exhibiting his most recent collection of sculptures at is studio in Oak Cliff.
Some say his the pieces in "Intuitive Geometry" look like things found in nature like twigs, bone or rock faces. While Mehl said that no one piece is created to look like something specific, they are all influenced by his work in environmental science.
"I've always made art and been considered an artist by my friends and family," Mehl said. "I became a scientist because I wanted to create change in the world."
Even though he was climbing mountains, scaling smoke stacks to measure air quality and working to help educate the public on how to maintain and preserve natural spaces, Mehl realized he couldn't keep himself from making art. He found too much inspiration to keep art as his hobby. He threw himself into developing his sculpting including traveling to Korea to study a variety techniques.
The pieces range in size from something for an end table to a floor to ceiling statement piece. The exhibit shows a body of work in a variety of materials including glass, bronze and plaster.
He doesn't want to limit himself by only working with a single material or only at large or small scale. Mehl is constantly learning from the other artists working in his shared studio space at the DNA Project Space.
Mehl's process often involves making a piece in wax and then choosing parts of it — maybe a curve here, a jutting edge there — to take and use as an element in a new piece. Then he creates a mold and a cast. When his sculptures are shown together, these thematic elements draw the viewers into the exhibit and move them from piece to piece.
"All of these remind you of something natural," he said.
He wants to create change through his art. He no longer accepts that an his work will only communicate with those that agree with him. He is creating art on such a scale that cannot be ignored to remind viewers that the natural world also cannot be forgotten.
"When a piece is towering over you and it takes up the same space that you do, you can't deny its existence," Mehl said.
Plan your life:
Jason Mehl's "Intuitive Geometry," Opening exhibition Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., DNA Project Space, 1339 Plowman Ave., Dallas
Closing exhibition, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., DNA Project Space, 1339 Plowman Ave., Dallas
