Jay Sawyer
Jay was born in Rockland, Maine in 1961. After he graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy in 1983 with a BS in Marine Engineering, he worked in marine-related employment for the next 9 years. After his time at sea, he came ashore to raise a family and to run his own business.
Jay’s work is primarily made with salvaged metals. Over the years he ran a welding/consulting company where he did repairs, upgrades, modifications, structural welding, marine repairs, bridgework, farm equipment, over-the-road machinery, signage, etc. Often this work left him with the duty of removing the discarded materials leftover on job sites. He began developing an eye and an appreciation for this detritus. Eventually, his artistic sense led him to the realization that this debris was the perfect material for him to make sculptures out of.
Efforts in his shop with the intent of creating something "artistic" began in early 2005. His first public exhibition of artwork was a solo show at the Cushing Historical Society's Arts In the Barn series in 2007.
This year, 2021, marks fifteen years of Jay exhibiting sculpture. In that period of time, Jay’s career also transitioned into that of a full-time artist. His work has been well received and he has been rewarded with several fairly high-profile commissions, public art installations around Maine, and several series of works that can be expanded upon.