Meet Joshua Pass: Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Pass and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a child my mother would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and the answer every year was an artist. As a kid I was so intrigued by a show that was part of Reading Rainbow that showed how to draw objects in 3D and other various drawing techniques. As I continued to grow, making and creating seemed to be the dominant thing that made sense to me. Even during play it seemed that making dominated what I did; it didn’t matter if it was a track for a bike or a pinewood derby car. I was also lucky enough that there were still shop classes in both middle school and high school; this was definitely where I excelled and I couldn’t get enough. After high school it took various trade jobs and a BFA degree before I realized that my best voice was as a sculptor.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
There are several factors that I feel set me apart from most others. Aside from my design ascetic being unique I like to keep almost every process in my studio. It’s a sense of pride and accomplishment to know that what you have created has really come from you and your hands. Taking the raw materials and fabricating them myself into my vision has a sense of accomplishment and excitement that I have not experienced anywhere else. It has not been easy, there has been so much to learn and every time that I hit a plateau in my progress or learning it is hard to know where to go, to find that energy to get to the next level. I have also had some accidents in my personal life that have left me needing to learn how to move an arm and leg again several times. But this passion I share for making pushed me through the toughest times and kept me wanting a fully functional life again. The main lesson that I have learned is to always keep moving forward and learning, keep progression in my work. The most important thing to know about my brand is that I love visually communicating stories and dynamics of important points in life and each viewer should take a moment and see how they relate. What does each piece stir up inside of you?

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My week of showing a friend around this amazing place that I get to call home would be centered around nature and then coming back and hitting the favorite spots in town. Starting with a hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and on the way back, once tired and famished, stop at Crosscut Pizza to get fed and refreshed. Another day we would be spending time around Boulder seeing the amazing rock formations such as a hike through the Flatirons, supporting the local farmer’s market, then a walk across the street to view the new and old public sculptures that grace Boulder. After all of that we would move on to the restaurant Shine to devour as much handmade food greatness as possible. Then it would be rinse and repeat, maybe on top of a mountain bike in Lyons, then a must stop at Spirit Hound Distillery.  

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is definitely a large handful of people who have helped me along in my progression and success, so a big shout out to them, they will know who they are. The most profound, personal, and professional progression has come from multiple workshops that I have taken at Anderson Ranch Art Center. While college was important, the 3 weeks that I spent working with Vivian Beer at Anderson Ranch definitely had the most impact on my work. She taught me how to realize the much more complicated heights of my vision. By teaching me advanced fabrication techniques, and also how to incorporate technology into my very handmade process, her guidance was pivotal in stepping up my sculpture design game.

Website: www.therareelementz.com
Instagram: @rareelementz
Linkedin: Joshua Pass

Image Credits
Koch Designs