Jacob Burmood is a distinguished sculptor based in Kansas City, Missouri, renowned for his dynamic and fluid forms that capture the essence of movement and natural forces. With a professional career spanning over two decades, Burmood's work is celebrated for its ability to transform rigid materials into sculptures that evoke the graceful flow of water and the intricate patterns of nature. 

Jacob's fascination with the natural world began in his childhood, where he spent countless hours exploring a creek that had carved its way through a wooded area over time. This early exposure to the interplay of natural elements laid the foundation for his artistic inspiration, as he observed how forces like water shaped the rocks, vegetation, and creatures around them. He perceives his work as an abstraction of the fluid nature of the universe, aiming to uncover an underlying order that unifies elements into a cohesive whole, much like a school of fish or flock of birds moving in harmony. 

Pursuing his passion for art, Jacob earned his B.F.A. in Sculpture from Missouri State University in 2006 and a M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Kansas in 2013. 

Throughout his career, Jacob has experimented with a variety of materials, including stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic, and bronze. However, he has developed a particular affinity for cold-cast aluminum, which allows him to create sculptures that appear both solid and fluid. His works often resemble draped fabric or flowing water, capturing the essence of movement and the subtle interplay of light and shadow. Jacob's creative process is deeply intuitive, involving the manipulation of materials like wire, screen, or cloth to explore the convergence of the subconscious impulses and natural forces. He views sculptuing as an active form of meditation, drawing him into the immediate moment and allowing him to create compositions that are both harmonious and dynamic. 

Jacob's work can be seen as a contemporary extension of sculptural traditions that emphasize motion, organicisim, and material transformation. Some key influences of comparison include: 

Baroque Sculpture, especially Gian Lorenzo Bernini's, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, captures the fabric and flesh in swirling, weightless forms, which parallels Jacob's ability to create the impression of lightness in metal. 

Modernism, notably Constantin Brancusi's work, which focused on simplifying forms to their essence, in an attempt to capture the spirit of the movement and nature, in streamlined, organic shapes. Like Brancusi's Bird in Space, Jacob's reduction of form enhances the sensation of motion and vitality. 

Both Mid-Century Abstraction and Postmodern Kineticism are also influences of Jacob's work. Henry Moore's exploration of voids and fluid lines in bronze sculpture, and well as Jean Arp and Barbara Hepworth's exploration in biomorphic abstraction, where sculptural forms seem to evolve naturally rather than being rigidly constructed. Jacob's process, which integrates subconscious intution with material constraints, aligns with the organic evolution seen in Arp's fluid sculptures and Hepworth's voided, curving masses. 

Pursuing his passion for art, Jacob earned B.F.A. in Sculpture from Missouri State University in 2006 and an M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Kansas in 2013. In addition to his sculptural practive, Jacob is also an art educator, having held several teaching positions. Currently, Jacob teaches sculpture courses at the Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. 

While Jacob draws upon these historical references, his work is distinctly contemporary in its embrace of industrial materials and large-scale public installations. His fluid, suspended compositions often serve as meditative objects, inviting viewers to contemplate movement in nature. He integrates modern fabrication techniques while maintaining a direct engagement with the hand-sculpted process, ensuring that his works retain an organic spontaneity despite their industrial execution. By bridging historical sculptural traditions with a modern sensibility, Jacob continues the age-old quest of artists defying the limitations of material and capturing the ephemeral qualities of nature in an enduring form. Furthermore, Jacob explores the harmonious interplay between form and force, offering a unique perspective on the fluid nature of the universe. 

Jacob's sculptures have been featured in numerous exhibitions and public installations across the United States. Collectors include: the National Soccer Hall of Fame; the Kansas City Chiefs; the University of Kansas Hospital; the City of Prairie Village, KS; the City of Lawrence, KS; the City of Overland Park, KS; Kansas State University; Seigfreid Bingham LP; the Springfield Art Museum; St. John's Hospital; Missouri State University; Raffles Hotel, Istabul, Turkey; the City of Olathe, KS; CrossFirst Bank, Forvis Headquarters; and private collectors across the country. 

Stop by next week for another refreshing installment of the Meet the Artist series. -HC