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About the Artist
Carlos L. Arce was born in New York City and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He returned to New York at eighteen to pursue a degree in Sociology at Saint Bonaventure University. His academic studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War, where he served as a non-commissioned officer with Army Special Forces infantry. He was wounded and highly decorated for his service in combat. Upon returning from the war, he obtained his college degree with a major in Sociology and minors in Education and History and pursued graduate training in Criminal Justice.
He worked as a teacher and counselor inside the prisons of Riker's Island in New York City, served as criminal justice consultant to the Mayor's Office and managed major urban development programs in the South Bronx. In the private sector, he has directed a large agro-industrial project, presided over a state-wide educational computer service company and worked as a real estate consultant. Over the years, the injuries and illnesses he suffered in the Vietnam War have taken their toll; he is now a 100% service-disabled American war veteran.
He is a constant student of social and political issues and causes and has always pursued his passion for writing about them; 22 digital books are now published under his name in Amazon.com/Kindle, including a seven-volume novel on the Vietnam War. His lifelong passion for the creation of wire sculptures had taken a backstage position until his retirement, but it has now become the focal point of his creative energy.
About the Art
The wire sculptures, which the artist calls The Statuettes, have been representations of real life, human-driven scenes and events; nonetheless, his thirst for experimentation and innovation will continue to find new horizons. His handmade wire figures have been created with thin copper wire, either bare copper or painted copper, protected with marine-quality varnish and placed on theme-carved, hard wood bases. A single creation utilizes from one half to two linear miles of wire, which is laboriously woven into works of art. Each piece begins with a sudden inspiration that becomes an obsession and captivates the mind of the artist. A lengthy combination of emotional thinking and engineering design leads to the start of a project, that takes final shape in a unique, fluid and unpredictable imaginative process. Ultimately, the artist finds love and beauty in the single elements of wood and wire.
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