Ed Wilson, a renowned Houston-based sculptor, is celebrated for his masterful work in metal. In his upcoming exhibition, Wilson unveils a dynamic series of vehicles—each one welded, sculpted, and imagined into playful automobiles and machines. From whimsical contraptions to surreal machines, these metalworks highlight Wilson’s unique ability to breathe life and personality into industrial materials. This show is a playful and  powerful ride through his creative vision, where craftsmanship meets curiosity on wheels.

 

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​ARTIST STATEMENT

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About a year ago, I was thinking about making some Christmas gifts for the grandkids, so I made a couple of little funky cars. These cars were just made up out of my head with no reference to any particular make or model. But my grandchildren are all girls so making toy cars did not seem to make sense to them. So, I thought man these would’ve been cool for me to have when I was a kid. I grew up hard, so I don’t remember having any really cool toys. So, I started to make more of these objects.

 

“If I Knew Then” is the concept, that if I had known as a kid what I know now, what would I make? I tried to put myself into the mindset of my seven-year-old self who has the sculpture skills of my adult self. The idea was to have fun, be playful, but at the same time be serious about them as aesthetic objects.

 

I hope these objects will give you, the viewer, a little smile. Oh, and I guess I finally got the cool toys. Enjoy!​

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BIOGRAPHY

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Ed Wilson was born in Louisiana in 1953, and lives and works in Houston, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from Louisiana State University in 1979, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston in 1984. His work has been shown in numerous solo exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, including at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas; Mönchskirche, Salzwedel, Germany; Portikussi, Frankfurt-Offenbach, Germany; Art League Houston, Texas; McAllen International Museum, McAllen, Texas; Flight Gallery, San Antonio, Texas; Redbud Gallery, Houston, Texas; and Artscan Gallery, Houston, Texas. Public sculpture projects include commissions at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas, awarded by Houston Arts Alliance; The Monumental Raven Sculpture for Sam Houston State University; Delivering Miracles for the Margot Women’s Hospital in Dallas, Texas; the Houston Downtown District, Texas; Schweizerhof Grundschule, Germany; and Buffalo Bayou Art Park & Sculpture Garden, Houston, Texas. Other public sculpture projects include Nethership, part of Sculpture for New Orleans Poydras Street Corridor in Louisiana and Folded Plane, part of True North, Sculpture on the Boulevard by Redbud Projects in Houston, Texas. Select exhibitions include Recent Sculpture at Moody Gallery in 2006 and Soaring in the Clouds at Moody Gallery in 2016, Houston Texas.