Brad Rude

The Daring Ascent

2009

Brad Rude was born in Montana and has lived in Walla Walla, Washington, most of his life. His journeys through his grandfather's folk art studio left him with images of horses and carriages, his first carved horse still holds a place of prominence in his studio, next to his extensive collections of found objects, books, pictures and anything that might inspire him. Rude’s passion for living in the country, his home and studio are tucked beneath Walla Walla's Blue Mountains, instill a deep love of the Northwest, a concern for the human condition as well as nature's well-being. His art and creatures take form in sculptures, which now reside on the sidewalks of downtown Walla Walla, in the Walla Walla Foundry's breezeway, and in the collections of Microsoft, Nordstrom, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, the Boise Art Museum, and others. "You could make a case that Rude's work is somewhere between western realism, abstract openness, and the notebook of an anthropologist in The Twilight Zone. His bronze sculptures often begin with a vague notion and random objects. He mixes and matches and watches where the story leads him."