​Man. The shaman, the predator. Ever has he pushed back against the unrelenting pressures of fates and gods and gnashing teeth.  The ability of man to not only survive but prosper and create speaks of his opulent efficiency as a creature.  It is characteristically human to flourish in the face of existential adversity. The common denominator of his psychology, that ancient wellspring of wonder and dread- it fuels the fire inside of him. Can the intensity of his existence be immortalized through the pulsations of his eternal spirit? A vital, spiritual existence is available to those who recognize their innate primality.  As an artist I am tasked with the challenge of defining human essence, framing it in physicality, and presenting it in reverence. I do this through the development of universal iconography and the sublimation of my chosen materials.
We ascend to godhood through recognition of our own nature, our own ungodliness. There is pure divinity through basic humanity. Materials like metal, concrete, sand, and light, as well as universally legible symbols like the human form, representations of geography, and the gestural mark of the hand are leitmotifs with which the viewer can tap into their untainted and god-like subconscious. In synergy, my materials possess characteristics of both the divine and secular. History consensually dictates that the enduring material (like metal or concrete) pays homage to the divine while the temporal material is merely a vessel of inconsequential and passing secularity. My work blurs the lines between these distinctions. The blunt physical presence of metal, concrete and earth reflect the brutal intensity of a passing existence. And those ‘pulsations’ of man’s eternal spirit are made manifest in the rhythmic undulations of sand, water and fire. It is through the sublimation of these materials, of the stuff of existence, that one may reach an absolute spiritual experience. Only then will man know his identity as shaman and predator.

-Caleb Fletcher

Education

School of Art and Design at Alfred University [2013]

• BFA Concentration in Sculpture
Honors
• University of Cambridge ‘Brilliance in USA Award’ A-Level Art and Design [2008]
o Highest Student Score on Cambridge Art Examination in United States
• Art Portfolio Scholarship awarded by Alfred University [2009-present]
• Marlin Miller Scholarship awarded by Alfred University [2009-present]
• Jewell Pratt Burns Art Scholarship awarded by the Prince William Art Society [2009]
• Nominated by Student Board to present work at inaugural opening of The School of Art and Design’s Turner Gallery [October 2011]
Exhibitions
• ‘Off the Wall’, Center for the Arts, Old Town Manassas, Virginia [January 2009]
• ‘Sledgehammer: Synthesizing Peter Gabriel’, Alfred Town Hall, Alfred University [December 2010]
• ‘From Fire’, National Metal Casting Center, Alfred University [October 2011]
• ‘Push’, Turner Gallery, Alfred University [October 2011]
•  ‘nothing (extra)ordinary’, Hornell, New York, Alfred University [March 2012]
• ‘Spirit of a Place: Citing Hornell’, Hornell, New York, Alfred University [May 2012]
• ‘Intern and Emerging Artist Exhibition’, SAW, Salem, New York [September 2012]
o Permanent installation Sapien in the possession of Salem Art Works
• ‘All-Star Cast’, National Metal Casting Center, Alfred University [October 2012]
• ‘We Want to Destroy You’, The Grange, Alfred, New York [October 2012]
Experience
-Academic
• Student Cupola Contest at the National Cast Iron Conference at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama [May 2010]
• Intercollegiate Iron Pour, Salem Art Works, Salem, New York [September 2011,2012]
• ‘Meltdown’ Intercollegiate Iron Pour, National Casting Center, Alfred , New York [October 2010, 2011,2012]
• ‘Pour Your Heart Out’ Charity Event, National Casting Center, Alfred, New York [February 2010, 2011, 2012]
• 13th USUK International Cast Iron Sculpture Symposium, Salem Art Works, Salem, New York [June 2012]
• Alfred University Foundry Guild
o Member [2010-present]
o President  [2012]
-Employment
• Primary Ventures Inc.
o Commercial Painting Contractors, Applicator [2007-present]
• Artworks
o Vehicle Graphics Design, Applicator [Summer 2008]
• Clearwater Plumbing Inc.
o Residential and Commercial Plumbing Installation, Assistant to Master Plumber Nathan Bonat [2009-present]
• Salem Art Works [Summer 2012]
o As Artist Intern assisted in the upkeep and improvement of SAW facilities and Cary Hill Sculpture Park. Also explored personal body of work during the course of stay
o Assisted artist Peter Lundberg in de-installation of sculpture from grounds of SAW
-Commissions
• Commissioned work for musicians ‘Candy’s Riverhouse’ [CD Design, Logo: 2010], ‘Howlin Bends’ [Cast Aluminum Bass Guitar, CD Design, Logo: 2008, 2012], ‘Dreaming of Eden’ [CD Artwork: 2008]
• Commissioned 9’x8’ mural painting for retirement home in Managua, Nicaragua [2008]
Artistic and Technical Skills
-Metal
• Mold Processes: Resin Bonded Sand, Lost Wax Solid Investment, Stacker Molds, Ceramic Shell, Hollow and Solid Forms, Rubber Molds, Silicon Molds, Alternative Mold-making Materials and Processes
• Finishing: Patination Techniques (Bronze, Aluminum, Iron, Steel), Enamel Coating, Sandblasting, Polishing
• Fabrication: Soldering, Welding, Torch Cutting, Chasing
• Materials: Aluminum (casting), Iron (casting), Bronze (casting), Steel (fabrication)
• Equipment: Stationary Metal Cutting Saws, MIG welder, Stick Welder, Plasma Cutter, Cupola Furnace, Forced Air/Gas Furnace, Induction Furnace
• Related body of work has included Figural, Large-Scale, and Installation pieces in addition to fabrication for sculptural infrastructure
-Wood
• General Fabrication: Carving, Cutting, Drilling
• Finishing: Staining, Polishing
• Equipment: Jigsaw, Scroll Saw, Belt Sander, Palm Sander, Stationary Saws
• Materials: Softwood, Hardwood, Plywood, Insulation Foam
• Related body of work has included fabrication for sculptural infrastructure
-Other
• Materials: Concrete and Mortar, Light and Light-Receptive Materials
• Methods: Large and Small-Scale Earth Excavation, Theatrical Lighting Techniques