One of our very favorite pieces in the Mint Museum’s permanent collection is Cover Up by Casar, North Carolina-based artist, Bob Trotman. With a recent solo exhibition at the Visual Art Center of Richmond and included as one of the featured artists in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s State of Art exhibition it’s no wonder Bob made our list of Carolina Art Crushes. We have always enjoyed Bob’s carved wooden figures, but the recent addition of sound and movement is fantastic!

HCLT: Describe yourself in three words
BT: Focused. Determined. Skeptical.

HCLT: When did you realize you were an artist?
BT: 1973

HCLT: Who or what inspires you artistically?
BT: Republicans.

HCLT: Tell us about your current body of work?
BT: Corporate Purgatory, mechanized and wired for sound.

HCLT: What do you think is the most valuable art experience in the Carolinas right now?
BT: Working in my studio.

HCLT: Where can we see your work?
BT: The Mint Museum Uptown has Cover Up (below) on display in their permanent collection. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, through January 19, 2015.

HCLT: Best meal in the Carolinas?
BT: My house

HCLT: What book is on your nightstand right now?
BT: G. Edward Griffin’s The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve 

HCLT: What is up next?
BT: I’m working on an eight-foot tall business guy in free fall, papier mache and fiberglass, roped to a large rock.
(The idea of that sure makes us glad we work in the non-profit sector!)

Images: Courtesy of Bob Trotman