With his sculptural concrete carvings and found object assemblages, Tucson artist Ralph Prata creates in the moment.
He will be showcasing mostly found object assemblages and a few concrete carvings as part of the exhibit “One Piece at a Time,” which runs through Friday, Jan. 12, at DeGrazia’s Little Gallery.
Prata — who will be on hand throughout the exhibition’s run — also has four assemblage pieces featured at Triangle L Ranch as part of “Sculpture-in-the-Park” and three works in Tohono Chul’s “The Exotic Sublime.” He last displayed his work in DeGrazia’s Little Gallery five years ago.
His process involves creating blocks of concrete out of sand, aggregates and cement. He uses traditional hand sculpting tools to carve these blocks the shape or size he desires. Self-taught, he has been carving concrete for over 40 years.
“I’ve been creating art since I was in my early teens,” said Prata, an Upstate New York native who has lived in Tucson for 12 years.
“I just started carving hard clay on my own, and I evolved the whole process. I started carving concrete because I was carving soapstone in my early days, and it was kind of expensive. My dad had a construction company, and since we worked with concrete, I developed my own concrete blocks to carve.”
In the last five to six years, he has used repurposed items such as shotgun shells.
“I find rusty cans, nails and car parts,” Prata said.
“I find a lot of this stuff in the riverbanks here in Tucson and on roadsides. I find it also on Mount Lemmon and Redington Pass. I use saguaro ribs in my work, too.”
He started to collect these found objects while on hikes with his wife during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My wife and I would try to find areas that people weren’t at,” he said. “We were hiking at obscure places, and a lot of this stuff was just stirring up.”
Prata continues to visit these places to find items he can use in his art.
“When I go down to the riverbed, there are thousands of these old shopping carts that have fallen apart,” he explained.
“I use wheels from them. I use stroller wheels. I use everything.”
The public has gotten in on Prata’s art. Through his volunteer work for the likes of the Humane Society, acquaintances have given items to him. He said he is most interested in objects that are weathered and have character.
He makes all his pieces by hand, using traditional processes.
“Everything is either screwed, nailed, bolted, riveted,” Prata said.
“It’s all hands on. There’s no welding. It’s all hand-constructed. I just visually see it, and I do it in the moment. I work totally in the moment. I might go into my studio, and there are a couple of rusted pieces laying around. I will start fitting it together, and I just visually built on that. Because I’ve done my work for so long, I have a feel for different materials.”
Prata is inspired by music, including that by Tucson artist Steve Roach.
“I listen to anything from ambient to hard rock to metal. It just depends on what mood I’m in,” he added. “I have a connection to it. It’s a lot of inspiration to what I do.”
He and Roach have worked together, creating artwork for three album covers.
Over his 40-year career, Prata has built a loyal following. Longtime patrons have multiple pieces in their homes, especially his concrete carvings.
He said that his art often inspires others, but he is passionate about the medium.
“I like people to be inspired by the work,” Prata said.
“I like to enhance people’s lives. I like to make things interesting. I do my work for me. I create because I love to create.”
He said he has touched people on a deeper, aiming to get them to question and contemplate through his work.
“I try to make these pieces have life and personalities. Even though it’s just found, rusted, old material, I try to give them a new life,” Prata said.
Ralph Prata: “One Piece at a Time”
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Friday, Jan. 12
WHERE: DeGrazia Little Gallery, 6300 N. Swan, Tucson
COST: Free admission to show, additional costs for entrance to main gallery and other spaces in DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun
INFO: 520-299-9191,
www.degrazia.org
This article appears in Dec 28, 2023 – Jan 4, 2024.