Although he didn’t get started until his early 30s, Bruce Senchesen has made more than 100 sculptures using circuit boards, plastics, wires and various electronics. Sometimes the parts are new, but mostly Senchesen uses old pieces from thrift shops or the hardware store.
“I look for oddball components,” the Monroeville resident said. “Combining these different media can make pieces that are clunky, chaotic, sleek and elegant at the same time.”
Senchesen recalls first seeing similar sculptures on WTAE when broadcaster Paul Long hosted the show.
“I remember seeing these things on TV in the ’80s. That’s where I got the idea,” said Senchesen, 69.
Several of Senchesen’s electrical models will be on display during his exhibit “Et Cetera” from Jan. 30 through Feb. 24 in the gallery space at Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. A public reception is slated from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 31.
Many pieces will be for sale.
“Art should be affordable and accessible,” Senchesen said.
Senchesen also will have a collection of photographs on display; his photos are almost exclusively of people.
“I like to take pictures of something more than a tree,” Senchesen said. “People are far more interesting, especially when you get them on film.”
The exhibit will include titanium jewelry, which Senchesen first saw — a single pair of earrings — at a trade show in New York City. When he got home, he got right to work making his own.
Senchesen creates jewelry using anodization, an electrochemical process that coats metals — such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium — to enhance its durability. Anodization also changes the color of the metal, giving it a vibrant tint and a decorative finish.
Over the years, Senchesen has conducted live demonstrations of the anodization process at places like the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Monroeville Public Library and Gallerie Chiz in Shadyside.
“It looks like dipping Easter eggs,” Senchesen said. “It creates a lot of interest.”
The retired electrician attributes his eclectic group of artwork to his employment. Senchesen worked as an electrician at a film lab in Oakland and a small business with machine tools and a wide variety of metals.
“I found an appreciation for different metals and other materials’ personalities, especially titanium,” he said. “Electronic and electrical components, I also find beautiful.”
Senchesen’s influences include Patrick Nagel, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, the original “Star Trek” and “Mission Impossible” television shows and the U.S. Manned Space Program.
Senchesen grew up on the South Side of Pittsburgh and Dormont, then moved to Wilkinsburg. He and his wife, Christine, also lived in Florida and Nevada before returning to Pennsylvania 14 years ago.
He has had live shows at the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary in Las Vegas and the Melbourne Arts Festival in Melbourne, Fla., as well as Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Arts Festival, Sewickley Celebrates Art, Shadyside Arts Festival, Fair in the Park and South Side Spectacular.
Several of Senchesen’s jewelry pieces are for sale in the gift shops at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art as well as the Mattress Factory, Small Mall and Firebox Studios in Pittsburgh.
