Fred Eversley is a sculptor working primarily in polyester resin, which he shapes with centrifugal force, then painstakingly polishes to create lens-like pieces, or parabolas, as he describes them, which concentrate the various forms of energies around them
Among the most compelling features of these pieces are their optical properties, which change depending on the space, light, and viewer. Trained as an engineer, Eversley moved from the East Coast to Venice, California in 1963 to work with the booming aerospace industry. There, he was swiftly absorbed into the art scene and began a practice that drew upon both his technological background and the influences of his coastal community.
Filmed in his Venice studio, Eversley demonstrates the casting and finishing of a parabola, outlines the evolution of color in his pieces, and discusses the clarity and longevity of his favored formulation of polyester. Contemporary footage is juxtaposed with archival video of the artist at work in the 1970s. Except for the occasional impact damage, Eversley is confident his works will endure and that restoration is avoidable.
This video is part of Getty Conservation Institute's Artist Dialogues video series.
Getty Conservation Institute News