By Aubreanna Miller
For the Herald
Between large complicated pieces, artist Jeff Davis of Iowa likes to create abstract works to clear his mind. One of these "breaks" led to the creation of "Ballistic Chaos."
At the northwest corner of 2nd and Pearl Streets, "Ballistic Chaos" depicts a silver diamond atop a red, abstract base.
Davis' interest in art started with repurposing unwanted things as a child, earning himself the nickname "MacGyver."
"I loved art, but I never became super good at any one thing," Davis said. "That was until I started working with metal."
For 20 years, he did sheet metal work in Omaha and eventually transferred his metal working skills into the art world. For awhile, he sculpted full-time, but now does pieces on the side.
Recently, the artist created a large metal depiction of singer/songwriter Prince's guitar for the Minnesota Prince museum.
The inspiration for "Ballistic Chaos" came from Davis' interest in the concept of propulsion and inertia. Taking left over parts from past sculptures, the artist shaped the metal to represent the twisting chaos of erupting emotions.
"That is the beauty of art," Davis said. "I get to take different concepts and put them together to form something entirely new. Art is like love; you can't force either."
Davis said he enjoys taking part in municipal shows and has eight sculptures out in five different states.
"It is incredibly important to me that everyday people get to enjoy my artwork for free," Davis said. "Every other aspect of our lives is fast-paced, so I hope people take the opportunity to slow down and look at art created by hand for their enjoyment."
