Ray Frigard: Inventor, Designer, Sculptor, Author, and Educator

       There are times when I will meet a person and know immediately that SOME DAY I will photograph them. Ray Frigard was one of those guys. It was not until four or five months after meeting him at the Polaris headquarters in Medina, where he works as a clay modeler, that I finally followed through with it though. I spent quite some time at his home in Mound. He shared with me some of his many creations ranging from various sculptures, toy inventions, and a book he wrote on creative problem solving called: Arthink. I had first entered his home with the idea that I would photograph him in his studio, which is where all the magic happens. However, due to the size of the space and the amount of stuff in it, I found it difficult to make a visually pleasing composition. As a solution, I decided to simplify things  by incorporating Ray into one of his abstract sculptures, which I felt better portrayed his artistic style anyway. Below is the final image that I decided to edit, as well as a small contact sheet of other angles I shot from during our shoot. I introduce to you, Ray Frigard: inventor, designer, sculptor, author, and educator. Enjoy!

Ray Frigard. Mound, Minnesota.

Contact Sheet of Unedited Images

SCULPTURE INFO

Title: Adagio

Materials: Copper, brass and wood

Date: June of 2005

Concept: The form was originally developed by messing around with a 12 gage wire. Ray generally likes to portray figures in abstract form with various materials. Although Ray enjoys the open interpretation of his artwork, he feels that this sculpture suggests the slow musical movement of a dancer. Hence the title of this piece: Adagio. 

ARTIST BACKGROUND

        Ray Frigard has an extensive creative background in the following areas: invention, design, sculpting, writing, and education. He has patents on original inventions and designs for rollerblades, cameras, boats, toys, and games. As an industrial sculptor, he has worked in the design studios of Ford, Chrysler, BMW, and Tonka Toys. Currently, Ray works at Polaris Industries where he sculpts scale and full size models in clay. He is an artist-in-residence at Our Savior Lutheran School, where he teaches art and creative problem solving K-8. He also gives workshops on creative problem solving to educators and presents at national conferences. Ray has won multiple awards in juried and non-juried shows throughout his 40 years of experience in sculpting in clay, wood, metal, plaster, bronze, and ceramics. 

        Thank you, Ray, for reaching out to me and giving me a highly informational and inspiring tour of the Polaris headquarters. Also, thank you for having me over and sitting for a portrait session. I greatly appreciate your time and efforts!