Bill Hayes grew up in New York along the Hudson River, and by age 17, he had travelled around the US, Europe and North Africa. These travel experiences have continued to significantly affect his views of art, life and education.
For well over 40 years Hayes has been making a name for himself as a leading commission bronze sculptor and ceramics teacher. Earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Alfred University, he was awarded the Senior Show Award in Ceramic Sculpture. The work that earned him the award was the start of a series that continues to fascinate him to the present day.
Upon graduating, Hayes began to work at the Tallix Foundry in Beacon, New York, where he met many artists who undoubtedly influenced his views on art. Artists included Julian Schnabel, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, and Mark Kostabi. “It was a period of real artistic discourse – working all day for various artists, all evening doing my own work, and all night in discussion with other emerging artists on the merits of both.”
After tiring of New York winters, Hayes moved to California where he worked for 5 years at Artworks Foundry, Berkeley. In 1997 he moved to New Zealand, where he became resident sculptor at the Lake House Art Centre, Takapuna, a position he still holds. In 2017, he became a member of the Medallion Group of Sculptors (MANZ).
Hayes is proficient in all aspects of bronze casting and ceramic sculpting. He is regularly involved in bronze maintenance and restoration, working on many significant public sculptures throughout Auckland City. His work can be seen in the James Wallace Trust collection and private collections nationally and internationally. Some of his many New Zealand commissions include the large public bronze sculpture “Pelagic Chevron”, Auckland City; an interpretation of Captain Cook’s sextant, Hahei, Coromandel; a bronze entranceway for Wairakei Golf Course; and a copper and ceramic fountain for the entranceway to Lake House Art Centre.
“My sculptural forms take their origins from my fascination with science and nature. I believe we each naturally develop a personal and unique aesthetic, instinctively reacting to different stimuli based on this, and filling our environment with objects with the form, colours and textures we associate with this aesthetic. I’m intrigued by this process and the reactions to the works I create, not only in how they help me define my environments but how they can be the stimulus for others to evaluate theirs. I’m drawn to the fire arts of molten metal, glass, and ceramics. There is something deeply satisfying about pouring molten metal into shapes limited only by your imagination and the properties of the materials.”
“My work reflects the physicality of producing it. Not only by the size of it but that I choose to leave the markings of cutting, grinding and beating that tell of the history of their creation. My work is intertwined with my life and stems from my interest in and exploration of our natural world. It’s no surprise to me that as an immigrant of 25 years to New Zealand I have found a need to reflect on life here and that reflection has also occurred in my studio.”