Editor’s Note: This is a new feature that will regularly appear in GoWild, highlighting a particular artist’s achievements.

Who: Sculptor Carlton Bradford

What: Bradford has worked on sculptures around town, as well as two high- profile pieces at the Student Union Memorial Center.

Bio: A professor in the art department, Bradford has lived all over Arizona as well as in the Bay Area of California. He is currently working on a project to express his love for the Arizona sky.

Wildcat: What inspires you?

Bradford: Human-made objects. I like things that are well-made. Lately I’ve been inspired by the sky and the clouds.

W: What art inspires you?

B: Good art. I like anything that is well done and purposeful.

W: What artistic mediums do you work in?

B: Wood and welded steel.

W: What is your most recent work?

B: The last sculpture I completed was a steel trumpet. It was in the faculty show last August-September. I played the trumpet in junior high and high school and college, so it has meaning for me. It was a big part of my life. It’s very heavy and the bell is solid. The parts work, but you can’t blow into it.

W: When did you start making art?

B: I graduated from high school in 1975. I took one art class in high school. I drew for the school paper. Back then, we used to take the ACT test to get into college. And part of that was a career suggested path. You answer this questionnaire and it tells you what area you should go into. And it told me I should be a sculptor, which was funny because I’d never done sculpture. That was about 25, 26 years ago.

W: What piece of work are you most proud of?

B: I made a violin; the body was four feet tall and stood on the floor. It looked like a real violin. I think that was probably one of the most successful pieces I ever made in terms of idea and execution.

W: Do you ever collaborate with other artists?

B: I have fabricated for other artists; made things. Like, the two pieces that are at the student union. The big “”A”” frame with the wings on it and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. I’ve made a lot of those parts as a job. I didn’t design them, I just fabricated them. But I’ve never really worked as an artist with another artist. I think I prefer just being alone in my studio.

W: What do you think of Tucson?

B: I love it here. I love feeling like I’m part of the community. I like the size of it. I’ve spent a good part of my life in Phoenix area. Phoenix is just too big, and it doesn’t have much to offer. And I think Tucson is about the right size, although we’re getting too big and we’re not solving some problems.

W: What’s next for you?

B: I’m going to be working with using wood and trying to figure out what it is that I like about the sky here and the clouds. I’ve always worked from a pretty set idea. I’ve conceived the idea, what it would look like and the materials, and then I’ve gone about executing that. And I’d like to see if I can take my skills and my years of experience and work more spontaneously.