Talk of the Town - All wound up January 13 2005

Wire sculptor Tim Conley invites CL into his loft-studio

Tim Conley is a man of few words who likes to let his art speak for itself. Throughout his Sampson Street loft hang distinctive creations and sculptures — primarily of wire, depicting men in half-action poses — most of which were made with his own talented hands. Having lived for several years in one of the city’s oldest loft developments, Conley has watched a few things change in his ‘hood over time, all while developing his style and honing his skills.

Creative Loafing: How long have you been in this apartment?

Conley: I’ve lived in these lofts for about three years now. There used to be some major parties here. This was a bad neighborhood about 10 years ago but it has become a lot nicer. It’s on the edge of Inman Park and the Fourth Ward and has been gentrified a lot lately.

How many years of work have you put into the loft?

Work into the loft has only gone as far as painting the walls. I’ve only lived here for about a year; I stayed in two other apartments in these lofts before this one.

What is your favorite piece of artwork here?

I guess the wire Pegasus. A few years ago, I adopted wire as a medium but I took the style and made it my own. It’s my specialty now. My style has evolved a lot over the years.

What drew you to working with wire?

I like the feel of the wire and I like to play with it. It’s a lot like drawing. You get the feeling you’re holding a sketch right in your hand.

What is it you like to create the most with wire?

I have different themes from time to time. My favorite things to create, or at least what I first began creating through wire, are fairies. I make them in varying sizes and it’s always a challenge to see how much detail I can get in smaller stuff. Also I like to make dragons and I made a lot of those for Dragon*Con.

Do you feel as though integrating your artwork into your living space makes it more compatible to you?

It helps the place feel more like home. It also helps me to keep in mind what I’ve done and works in progress that I have to complete. I’ll see something that needs work on the wall and pull it down and start to work with it.

Is there anything you keep in mind when placing your artwork around your loft?

I like to have flying things in a position to fly and crawling things in a position to crawl and then keep them in unexpected places. I like to leave the sculptures lying around like you just stumbled upon them.

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