Alphabet

An Artist with Letters
– John Russell Taylor

Even when it is physically very heavy, as sometimes it is, Randy Klein’s sculpture manages to seem light and airy: it always creates the impression of movement, and even when at its most serious contrives to preserve a certain light-hearted gaiety. Take the new works based on letter forms. One would swear that the pieces had been whipped up in an instant: they are as free and improvisatory as an oriental brush drawing.Philosophy of letter forms or not, it matters little. Left to ourselves we might not see O as a doorway someone can blithely step through, or W as something which is coming apart at the seams. But if Klein tells us that for him this is what they are, we are perfectly willing to entertain the notion, toss it around for a little, and run it up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes.

Think of the letter L. Mae West remarks in the margin of one of her songs “Oh, it may be lie to you, but it’s lay to me!” Precisely. Active or passive, transitive or intransitive, it’s all a matter of how you look at it.

I know I shall never see J, R or T the same way again.