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you do since you are trying to make a realistic piece. I’m relieved that I don’t have to deal with that.”The interpretation of Hale’s art is something that he enjoys almost as much as the creation.“Whenever my work is in a show, I will watch the people experiencing and relat ing to the pieces. said Hale. It is interesting because people see different things and they mean something different to them. Most people see exactly what theycan relate to. They mayft- V■us I ■ l°°k at a piece and say. ‘You ■ ■ 1 1 really know about Morgan111 M horses. You have made a 1 ft 1 m perfect Morgan horse,’ but 1 1 don’t even know what a|S 1 Morgan horse is. I don’tJj correct them and tell themJr w^at ' think it is, because if / it speaks to them then that| is what I like.”Mfc* Many artists are protec-ftive of their work and onlywant it viewed behind a glass case or a roped-off area. Hale has a different outlook.^ “I've been told that myMr' li pieces are very intimateU w| and sensual, he said.“People can hardly resistVk'^jaL touching them and it’s OK EjjZ. irrr* 9 if they do. I don’t wantnt.-___. . 1, them to just pass by andlook. What I am trying to do is to create something that will draw a person into it. The more thev look at it, the more they want to look at it and experience it.Like all great artists. Hale puts his heart and soul into his artistic work.“There is a lot of me that goes into a piece, said Hale. “1 am not trying to make something that will sell or what is popular right now. That is not what 1 am after. I can relate to my pieces and feel I good about them, and when 1 see someone else enjoying them then it’s almost like they are accepting me.On displayHale’s wooden sculptures, sometimes taking up to two years to complete, range in size from one inch to more than six feet tall and can be seen at the Spiva Center for the Arts or at Cleo’s Picture Framing Design in Joplin. For more information contact M. Justin Hale at 417-438-0104.doing now but that is not possible. My past work and career influence what 1 do now, said Hale. I didn’t really recognize it until about a year ago. but the fact that I worked in prosthetics for most of my life has influenced my art. I worked with amputees that were missing an arm or a leg, or both. Now, when I create a piecethat represents a figure, there may be aplace for one arm. but on the other side of the wood there is no place for the other arm. and that’s OK to make it like that. It doesn't need tohave two arms.to be able to dodom allows mHale to create mpieces that are a imore interprc a wt ive and less M wme to keep sanding. It really taught me how to put a finish on a piece of wood.Hale continued working at the shop until he graduated from high school. Thenhe moved away from home to see what else was out there.“I lived in Michigan and then various other locations but stayed in the prosthet ic profession until 1 was 45 years old,” said Hale. “It’s one of those things that I didn't intend to go into in the first place. It just happened that way. 1 didn’t really make an intentional decision that this is what I wanted to do.After moving to Joplin to work in another prosthetic shop. Hale decided he would venture out on his own. He opened his own prosthetic limb business just south of Joplin. Then in 1999. something happened that changed his outlook on life.I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I got away from the business to heal up.Once I got away. I didn’t want to go back, said Hale.He decided to turn his passion for art into amamaam aay AWhile was growing up, I had tried differ-ent methods of modern f #■art that I didn’t really Iunderstand because 1 ‘I ’ t |was caught up in the 4 irules. You have to do it this wav. and if youdon't do it this way thenit is not art. 1 was con-fused about all of that, said Hale.Once he decided to 1forgo conventional eJ ^thinking. Hale’s artistic *./ \ \vision flourished. f1 1That’s the exciting D J «■■■part. said Hale. At any time you can make up f Vvour own rules, vou can break the rules, or youare no rules. Every timeyou try something, itallows you to be more dramatic with thenext piece. You can take more risks.Artistic freedomAccepting his previous career was also a hurdle that he had to conquer.When I started carving. 1 wanted to seoarate mv work before with what 1 amA couple pieces of art that M Justin Hale has created and presented in a showroom Featured here are “Yin Yang (Left) and Osage Wood Nymph (Above.)definitive. Traditional wood carving, where you take a straight-grained piece of wood and carve something from a specific design, is technically very difficult,” he said. I appreciate people that can do that kind of work, but I wouldn't want totry. If you mess up. I’m not sure whatcareer opportunities inHands on TrainiMedical Insurance Billing Coding Specialist Heating, Air Conditioning Refrigeration TechnologyMedical AssistantIntegrated ElectronicsTechnology Computer Tec hnology and Network AdministrationJOPLIN CAMPUS 1715 N. Range Linewww.wti.eduFinancial Aid Available (For those who qualify)National Certifications Placement AssistanceSmall ClassesDay and Evening Classes AvailableMARCH! APRIL 2010PROFILES25
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Joplin Globe
Joplin, Missouri, US
Thu, Mar 25, 2010
Page 47
Full Page
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Joplin P.
MO, USA 12 Jan 2023
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