The Catfish Bottom Dweller

Contributed by Mary Kate Nicely and Joey Ellis

From the potters, to the painters, to the people who blow glass, out of all of these artisans in southwest Virginia, Rick Radman stood out the most.  Radman attended Michigan State where he majored in Physical Education and Health.  After graduating, Radman read a book that inspired him to ‘pay as you go.’  As a result, he used the money he saved to move to SWVA, where he built his own house in a secluded wooded area just 9 miles outside of Wytheville, free of debt.

The first art medium that Radman aspired to was pottery.  He learned this craft from workshops in North Carolina.  This creative side of Radman inspired him to build his own studio out of the excess wood he used to build his home.  Radman had been working with pottery for fifteen years before he started working with his new art medium, metal.  It took Radman five years to master welding and collect enough metal parts he needed to start his newfound hobby.  Presently, Radman has been working with metals for ten years and continues to create pottery on a limited basis.

Our class at Wytheville Community College’s Appalachian Governor’s School recently visited Radman’s studio, The Stoney Fork Workshop.  Radman gave us an incredible insight into his line of work.  It is shocking how much work goes into one of his metal sculptures.  First, he goes to scrap yards and farms to find rustic metal found objects to incorporate into his artwork.  Radman goes to scrap yards so often, that his friends gave him the nickname, ‘Catfish Bottom Feeder.’  Then, he brings the parts back to his workshop to clean up the more antiquated pieces.  Afterwards, Radman welds the random pieces together to make intricate moving sculptures.  His most known moving artwork are the gas-nozzle beaked birds, car spring dogs, and horseshoe wind chimes.  He showcases all of these works at art shows in Blacksburg, Floyd, Roanoke, at Heartwood, Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway in Abingdon, and other galleries in the area.  To find out more about Radman’s work, visit www.roundthemountain.org.

Radman said, “Every piece of art is different and unique.  You can’t make the same piece twice.”  This statement is true about his works and many other artisans’ works in SWVA.  He is a passionate artisan, who never gives up.  Rick Radman is a perfect candidate to introduce you to the creative culture in SWVA.

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