Photo by Brandon Sullivan Arizona sculptor and painter Ludvic Saleh peers through a brightly colored coil of steel, part of a larger work of art at his Scottsdale sculpture garden. The artist creates his outsize abstract pieces from discards he salvages from such sources as junkyards and building sites.

Scottsdale sculptor Ludvic
transforms scrap into sophisticated art

Scottsdale artist and sculptor Ludvic Saleh—who signs his name simply as Ludvic—lives in the middle of a 2-acre sculpture garden. Here, the monochromatic landscape of the Sonoran Desert is startlingly breached by flashes of color on monumental sculptures. Fluorescent green, primary red and yellow, vibrant blue, along with muted wine and stark black and white, contrast vividly with overhanging branches of mesquite and palo verde trees. His “playground” is how he refers to this wealth of free-standing welded steel.

This outdoor gallery contains more than 40 works. Massive abstract sculptures, some that are taller than six feet, are interspersed with smaller pieces that might be placed on a table or hung on a wall. The pierced and intertwined pieces create illusions of light and air.

Called Steel Jam Session, the abstract series consists primarily of powder-coated steel works. Its genesis is in the leftovers of industry. Metal sheets, car parts, tools, frames and more are stacked in piles, mounds and layers at the large open doors of Ludvic’s studio. He says that through “much effort” he hauls these raw materials in a trailer from junkyards, scrap repositories and construction sites.

“When you see this junk lying down it means nothing. In the hands of an artist it becomes something else,” he remarks. He reassembles, cuts, reshapes, sandblasts and grinds the material, using whatever process necessary to achieve the results he desires. It’s easy to believe his claim that he never discards a single piece.

One assemblage in particular seems to have been created from the contents of a giant toolbox. Crescent wrenches, a rasp, pipe wrenches, tinsnips, a saw blade and wood plane, along with other unidentifiable pieces of metal, seem to have motion, even though they are permanently welded into a single piece.

Curves and angles capture attention in this untitled piece from the Steel Jam Session Series, painted welded steel, 51" high x 120" wide x 72" deep.

Nearby, another sculpture relies on car parts for its essence, with gears, frames and bumpers inextricably melded into a unified composition. Although part of the Steel Jam Session Series, these works do not have individual names so as not to prejudice the eye of the viewer, explains the artist. “The intuitive part of composition is the most important part of my work,” he says.

Stopping before a large red and yellow piece, Ludvic comments, “You can touch it. And the colors have to be so alluring to drag you in, but also to give you the sense of the Industrial Age, of the 20th century, of our time.” His powder-coated colors are baked on at a very high temperature, and, solvent-free, are said to be environmentally friendly.

Ludvic has no preconceptions when he begins a project. “It’s whatever material there is. I compose it spontaneously and instantaneously,” he relates, adding that he has to be able to decipher abstract forms and think in abstract terms. He points out that his work also is organic. Some of the sculptures resemble trees, with upward-branching parts extending from an axis. “When you place them next to a tree, you see the resemblance. There are Contemporary trees, industrial trees, and there are organic trees,” he says. “My sculptures are informed by nature, but they do not duplicate nature,” the artist explains.

Painted black and white, this untitled work from the Steel Jam Session Series stands 82" high x 93" wide x 36" deep.

The green aspect is another important element of his work. He states, “I can go to a city and take their junk and make a work of art out of it,” thereby relieving the universe of at least some of its castoffs. His sensitivity to the environment is obvious in his reuse of existing materials. “If art doesn’t have goodness to it, it fails. It is senseless. The goodness about it, for me, is that I want to save the environment, and I want to make it sustainable. But in the meantime, I don’t want to forget I’m an artist. I work with form, color and composition, and nothing else. I have no political agenda beyond my art, but if my art becomes a force for good, then it is meaningful.”

Admirers find Ludvic’s work irresistible. Says a Scottsdale collector: “Ludvic’s sculpture looks amazing in our garden. The intricate forms weave up into the sky, while the bright hues of the sculpture stand out against the desert landscaping. To our delight, the work suits our Southwest-style architecture, especially due to the organic look of the piece. It is a welcome change to the beige and brown colors that are typical of this area.”

Metal sculptures are simply one aspect of Ludvic’s wide-ranging talents. Born in Sudan and educated in Egypt, he has had a diverse career. He was a one-time employee of Andy Warhol, an illustrator for Playboy, and a fabric designer for Yves Saint Laurent. His many projects—which he at times bounces between on a daily basis—include abstract and food paintings; a series of paintings depicting actress Marilyn Monroe titled Resurrecting Marilyn; and a painting series titled Ludvic’s Butterfly Magic.

Untitled, from the Steel Jam Session Series, painted welded steel, 62" high x 66" wide x 52" deep

For the past three years, Ludvic has been represented by Figarelli Galleries in Scotts-
dale. Sharon Figarelli met the artist and his wife, Lauren Edgar, on a museum trip to Miami four years ago and was immediately drawn to his work. “I was most attracted to his use of brilliant colors and the recyclable material in his sculpture,” Figarelli says. “They represented to me an exploration of fluidity, music. I wanted to walk around and through them, if that were possible. With every piece you experience Ludvic’s vision, his voice.” She adds, “The sculptures are not only spontaneous, they also are very spiritual.”

Considering Ludvic’s prodigious body of work and the critical acclaim he has received, it might seem unusual that there are no awards hanging on his walls. “If I get an award, I turn it down. I don’t want my work to be judged by a committee,” he says with emphatic pride, a touch of humility, and just a whisper of healthy ego.

Paintings and sculpture by the artist are on exhibit at Figarelli Galleries from Oct. 5 to Oct. 31. His painting of Elvis Presley, titled The King, is currently on display at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel, where the singer often performed in sold-out shows. Food paintings by Ludvic are scheduled for exhibit at the James Beard Foundation in New York in November and December. Two paintings from his Resurrecting Marilyn Series are on display at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in Hollywood, California. Timed for the 2009 Academy Awards, they will be there until March 1, 2010. Ludwig says the images attract admirers, who stand in line to have their pictures taken next to Marilyn, the one-time Goddess of Hollywood.