Focus on ’20/20′ exhibitor James Robert Futral
On view now through September 21 in the Wasner and ArtLab galleries at FGCU is 20/20: Art Alumni Exhibition. Class of 2016 grad James Robert Futral is one of the artists participating in the show.
Futral has been interested from a young age in the properties of 
materials and how they can be constructed or fabricated together. He also prefers to incorporate found materials in his sculptural work. “Few people know how rewarding it can be to create with items that would otherwise be discarded,” James notes.
James also uses found and repurposed materials to construct homemade tools and equipment and for 
repairing commercial items.
“As an artist and fabricator, I have used a wide range of diversity and comprehension of mediums,” Futral expounds. “My preferred mediums are metal, wood and clay, but I also thoroughly enjoy working with organic materials like vines and stone.
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ince graduation, Futral has continued to explore and improve his artistic skills. He has recently been accepted into the Appalachian State University Rosen Sculpture Competition 2017-18 and a work study scholarship at Penland School of the Arts and Crafts for the summer of 2017. James also received the Thomas Riley Studio Award and Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club Scholarship at FGCU’s 18th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition at the Bower School of Music for his sculpture Tetness, The Polar Bear.
RELATED LINKS.
- FGCU art professor Patricia Fay reflects on 20 years of growth and progress
Leila Mesdaghi obsesses over childhood story in FGCU’s ’20/20′ alumni exhibition- For FGCU alum Megan Kissinger, art is quest for super realism
- Instinct plays big part in Philip Heubeck’s modernist works
- For ’20/20,’ art alum Tarra Wood combines cacti and historical portraiture
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.