Tree

"Tree" by Adam Walls is an abstract, yet instantly recognizable, piece crafted in steel and paint.

The rich green and sharply angular construction of the "Tree" provide a perfect perch for an elegant array of avian life painted in red.

There's strong contrast in the selection of colors - as well as the juxtaposition of the boxy tree and the sleek silhouettes of the birds that inhabit it.

TreeBirds have long taken a liking to Walls' work, he said, so it was fitting for him to incorporate them into a sculpture. We expect Clayton's winged wildlife to feel right at home next to their red steel counterparts in "Tree."

You'll find "Tree" adorning the roundabout at Spring Branch Medical Park, located at the intersection of Springbrook Avenue and Medspring Drive.

This is the third year Walls' work has been featured on the Clayton Sculpture Trail, and he has demonstrated tremendous range as a sculptor in that time. This year, you'll find another of Walls' creations, "Life," in the middle of the roundabout on East Front Street, near the entrance to the Arbors at East Village apartment complex.

The 2nd annual sculpture trail featured Walls' "Windchimes" in Town Square, and last year's trail saw his "Mother and Child" - a pair of fabricated steel orbs weighing 500 pounds - located outside of The Clayton Center.

Adam Walls of Hope Mills, NC is a large-scale sculptor and professor at UNC-Pembroke where he has taught since 2007. His previous teaching experience includes Limestone College, USC-Upstate and an assistantship with Winthrop University. Before teaching at the college level, Walls taught 6 years in the public school system and 3 years for art centers and other private institutions. He operated his own ceramics studio where he taught pottery and won numerous awards for his ceramics as well as his woodworking and steel fabricated sculptures. He received his MFA in Sculpture from Winthrop University in 2005 and his BA in Art Education from Limestone College in 1996.

Adam Walls is a member of the College Art Association and the Tri-State Sculptors Association. His sculptures have been exhibited in numerous sculpture parks and sculpture exhibitions across the country. Walls' current work is predominantly monumentally scaled steel fabricated forms which often reflect his interest in escapist fantasy. As an educator with over a decade of teaching experience, Walls' dedication to his students is embodied in his pedagogy. He covers a variety of subjects that include steel fabrication, plaster casting and carving, woodworking, the creation of volumetric forms using found objects, stone carving, and the creation of functional art and sculptural prosthetics. His teaching philosophy promotes students to find their own voice and to make use of a variety of materials.

Tree
Tree