Jackpot artist David Wirth's sculptures are On Fire

10th year that California marine sculptor David Wirth
is featured at Fred Hall shows

Renowned marine sculptor and the official Tuna Jackpot Artist of the Year, David Wirth's works are literally "on fire." With high praise and sales of his new introduction of bronze sculptures at the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Boat Show late last year, Wirth headed back to his California studio and a nearby foundry to create even more limited editions for the back-to-back Fred Hall shows in March.

ARTIST DAVID WIRTH is really "burning up" these new patina colors such as "Pele's Fire" and "Lava." These colored patinas are his vision of the creation of the Hawaiian Islands "by way of molten lava thus transforming my creations in Molten Bronze and Fiery colored patinas."He will have an original piece ready for the charity auction at the Tuna Jackpot.

Wirth is excited about celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tuna Jackpot tournament, and this year, after two magnificent hardwood carvings that fetched $5,000 and $4500 the past years in an auction for a Cabo childrens facility Los Ninos Del Capitan, Wirth has something special planned for the awards dinner auction this year. Born of a unique wood carving, Wirth will create a one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture for the Tuna Jackpot bronze piece with the new bronze limited edition artwork.

"This will be an incredible piece," said Wirth. "I have the idea in my mind of giant tunas chasing bait for the carving and with the new lava patina, this will blow people awasy. I really want to make this piece special for this tournament and for the charity. I visited the Los Ninos Del Capitan facility and it's great work they do and it's so needed for the kids who have just one parent. More of these are needed everywhere. It's my way of contributing."

At age 43, Wirth is one of the country's most renowned award-winning hardwood marine-life sculptors, with works showcased in an increasing number of galleries worldwide.

Wirth continues, of course, to show his art in galleries and at shows, displaying the works for which he's best known, intricate pieces, some from a variety of rare and exotic hardwoods found on four continents; woods chosen because of their uniqueness and color.

Wirth says citrus, live oak, olive and black walnut all from California are among his favorites along with indigenous woods of Hawaii such as mango, Cook pine, koa, milo, monkey pod or macadamia nut plus mahogany, buttonwood and sea grape found in Florida.

"I have a number of friends who are on the look-out for unusual shapings of dead wood from storm debris collection like the ones we recently had in Hawaii in December. Some of the rescued wood will sit to dry and cure for five years or more. Ninety percent of the logs I use are dead or dying."

To the very creative and discerning eye of Wirth each piece of wood could be the next unique three-dimensional canvas at one of his art studio/workshops in Hawaii, California or the Florida Keys.

Not counting his very popular and eye-catching wooden hooks which are given as impressive awards or presented as special mementos of gratitude by such worldwide conservation and fishing bodies as the IGFA, Wirth estimates he produces some 30 works a year.

"I'm equally excited about the new bronze works I've begun creating for the Fred Hall shows visitors."

The pieces that caught the eye, praise and sales of the Ft. Lauderdale marine crowd included a 15-inch tall sea horse and Wirth's old style Hawaiian circle hook with a lava-colored patina.

"I've been experimenting with bronze for five years and decided to make the leap and bet the farm and to do this on my own," he said.

His goal is to create one new bronze edition piece per month until I feel satisfied with the line up. The fact that the art is selling so well is allowing me to produce new works sooner than anticipated.

"All of my bronzes are created in hardwood originals so it's really a whole different ball game as opposed to sculpting in clay or wax. There is no room for error or changing my mind once the project is started. This actually is what makes my work so dramatic, animated and most importantly so totally different than anybody else's works.

"'On Fire' is just that. I'm really burning up these new patina colors such as "Pele's Fire" and "Lava". These colored patinas are my vision of the creation of the Islands by way of Molten Lava thus transforming my creations in Molten Bronze and Fiery colored patinas".

Besides the sea horses and five types of Hawaiian style circle hooks he's also created a mahi mahi, and sailfish and is in progress with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, blue marlin and birds of paradise."

"I've been creating new and resurrecting fantastically animated bonze sculptures and working on new sculpture concepts, colors and shapes to bring life to what I see."

David is pouring a new work of art every month at the foundry in Santa Ana, and the quality of this work is unsurpassed. This new concept of Marine Fine Art is being made in "ultra" limited editions.

"I'm making the editions range from 10 to 30 pieces to keep the art, not a production line made item," he said. "And you can say I am excited to share this new line of work."