Every time Plant City resident Robert Woods creates a new sculpture, sparks fly. The artist morphs together abstract forms with the hot, blue light of a fiery blowtorch. Some are mammoths that, at 18 feet tall, tower over humans. Others are functional, such as his latest masterpiece: a fabricated 1930s era vintage fire truck.
The truck was commissioned by Darren Impson, owner of Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling of Tampa. Impson had a 150-cc motorcycle scooter stored in the company’s warehouse. Woods discovered it when he attended a holiday event with his wife, Zuesette, who serves as Davis’ director of marketing. From there, an idea caught fire.
Davis is a provider of water-damage cleanup and fire-damage restoration in the bay area. So, Woods thought a working fire truck would be a perfect conversion and could be used in the company’s marketing events and parades.
Woods got to work in April, laying out the plans as he went.
“The scooter was to be the base power source for the fire truck,” Impson said. “Robert removed the front wheel on the scooter and fabricated an axle system, so that the front wheels turn when the handle bars turn. Robert hand-built the axles, chassis, all steering parts, body frame, wheel wells, sheet metal, aluminum diamond plate, wood ladders and firemen’s axes.”
Even more impressive, Woods did it by himself.
“People asked me, ‘Where’d you buy the kit?’” Woods said. “There’s not a kit. I built it from the ground up. It’s really a custom piece.”
The truck was done just in time for a Fourth of July parade in Brandon. Loaded down with ice chests of water and popsicles, four boxes of beads and even a couple of kids, the truck ran with lights blaring. The hose even squirted water out in a mist or a stream, winning the title of Best Decorated Vehicle.
“It’s like a super big go-kart,” Woods said. “It took a lot of engineering. Next to ‘The Key Tree,’ it’s probably the best thing I have done.”
“The Key Tree” is another favorite of the talented craftsman. Back in 2005, Woods worked with Tampa Palms Elementary to fabricate a 14-branch tree with leaves made out of keys. The art teacher had students collect 1,880 keys for the collective project.
“It has a real nice gold hue to it,” Woods said. “It’s really gorgeous.”
And right here in Plant City sits another piece of work from Woods. Behind the Whistle Stop Cafe, “Eternal Time” marks the spot of a time capsule that will be opened in 2085. The abstract grandfather clock was built to withstand the Southern humidity, Florida’s torrential summer downpours and the sands of time, in general. It was put in place in 2010 as part of Plant City’s 125th anniversary festivities.
Just down the street, Woods shows and sells his work at the Art Lounge Gallery off Reynolds Street. Some of his best-sellers, shiny silver fish, are tacked up on the wall.
Woods receives much of his commissioned work through word of mouth. He’s had clients from Ohio to West Palm Beach. One of his most expensive projects is an $80,000 custom gate he created for a home in Maryland.
Woods had grown up tinkering with things, but he didn’t get his artistic start until he worked with an artist to cut glass for his projects. Woods owned Metropolitan Glass and Visualize Logo Concepts, both in Tampa, in 2000, when he met the artist.
“It was too much fun; I didn’t want to stop,” Woods said.
So, he took up art full-time, making a name for himself. Now, he works in a studio at Mozart’s Artistic Designs near County Line Road and U.S. 92.
“Art is free-thinking,” Woods said. “Sometimes, throwing scraps together turns out just as good a planning it out. But, when I have a client, seeing their expression when they see it for the first time — that’s why I do it.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
ON DISPLAY
To check out Robert Woods and some of his pieces, visit the Art Lounge Gallery or contact Woods at RGWoods@usa.com.
Art Lounge Gallery
ADDRESS: 119 E. Reynolds St.
PHONE: (813) 704-4872
WEBSITE: theartloungegallery.com
COST TO CREATE
Robert Woods’ raw materials aren’t cheap. A one-inch thick sheet of aluminum can cost $3,500. An 18-foot-tall sculpture at Brandon’s Hillsborough Community College campus took about two-and-one-half sheets to create.