In North Carolina, Norman Rockwell Meets Karl Marx

I have followed Trotman’s career for many years and continue to be amazed by the freshness his work. I look for mystery in art and Trotman does not disappoint. I study his striking images with intellectual curiosity and amusement. I look forward to many more years of surprises from him.

I have followed this artist’s work for several years and his talent and creativity continues to amaze me. I look forward to the November opening!

I appreciate Bob Trotman’s work on so many levels.Aside from the provocative social commentaries that lie at it’s core,the images & characters he presents paired with the masterful craftsmanship itself, make his art appreciable to citics and scholars, as well as to an audience that may be less idealogically inclined. The way that Bob preserves the inherent integrity of the wood and incorporates it’s quirks and flaws into the sculptures is beautiful and inspiring.

I had seen photographs of Bob Trotman’s work before I saw the ‘real thing’ so to appreciate his genius I had to see his work in person. The way he uses the ‘natural designs’ that are in the wood is amazing. Foresight of his intention and the outcome are a sight to behold. You look at it and wonder, what is this artist thinking! That’s what I like about his work, it makes you want to talk about it with others and get their perspective.

What I like about Trotman’s work is his strong element of wry humor. So much of humor is about being a bit off kilter. No other current sculptor has his intelligent perspective combined with such a light twist. The sense of motion in a lot of his work is delightfully unsettling. Due to the humor and motion of his art, I believe his work will stand the test of time. There will always be power figures off balance.

“you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”

I love the pairing of Trotman with Rockwell.. point and counter point. Utopia and dystopia. Trotman brings to light an important shadow side of corporate power and keeping up appearances within the domestic realm. Congratulations!

Looks like the bosses are not in Kansas anymore, but caught up in a corporate cyclone. No telling where they might land.
Looking forward to seeing the show in Raleigh.

I see cognitive dissonance, reified. It isn’t so much that the sculptures are disturbing; they are, but it is worse than that; it is that the sculptures rip away the fictions and expose disturbances that had been hidden under the cultural membranes. Trotman reverses the figure and ground of our assumptions.

Bob Trotman is the antidote to Norman Rockwell. His work captures the inherent optimism of our (immigrant) America while at the same time exuding the unease associated with a society where the average CEO makes more than 500 times the average worker’s salary, if you count stock options, and gosh who doesn’t (Canada manages at 21:1, Germany regulates at 11:1). The disquieting sense that one is a health care crisis away from bankruptcy or a stock market kerfuffle from retirement is confidently carved into wood by a North Carolina master.

Bob Trotman quietly takes a bite of life and it’s everchanging drama ,chews it up and spits out a piece that makes it’s viewer relate to something in their own life’s saga /journey… he doesn’t spell it out for you- his art makes you think and question….to me- that’s good art.

Great post! These sculptures have a nice feeling of movement. I would really like to see them in person, especially now that I know m ore of where the artist is coming from.