Richard Starks is a sculptor who thinks big and works big; I mean really big! He grew up in Watsonville, California, attended San Jose State, and worked as a fabricator on boats, trailers, and rebuilding engines. He went back to school to get a teaching credential to teach high school metal shop. Remember that class, along with wood shop and auto shop? He spent 32 years teaching and started creating metal sculptures. He’s built a dragster, hot rods, and had a passion for cars since his high school days. After retiring, Richard began creating sculptures, with his focus being on very large objects. He works in Cor-ten steel primarily, and his works have included everyday objects he recreates in massive scale, as well as a variety of unique, modern sculptures and public installations.
I had the pleasure of meeting Richard at SEMA last year and enjoyed seeing some of his amazing creations.