When an 18-year-old Frank Sciscilo joined the U.S. Navy in 1978 and was later assigned to his ship’s welding department, little did he know his talent for fire and steel would ignite both a profession and a passion.
Now, some 33 years later, Sciscilo carries a torch for welding that has led him to explore the medium as an art form.
A native of Jersey City, Sciscilo has lived in Secaucus since his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1982. Although he never formally studied art or attended art school, he said he was always creatively inclined and was often tapped by others to help with creative projects.
“I was always artistic. In school, I was always the one picked to do the Christmas decorations,” said Sciscilo. “When I was in boot camp I was picked to do the company flag. When I worked in the Navy shipyard I painted pictures on the tug boats. Wherever I went, I always had something to do with art. I was always that guy that would help bring [a visual concept] to life. I could just visualize how to make their idea work,” said Sciscilo, a welder by profession who for the past decade has also used his torch to create sculpted works of art.
“Some people like to work with wood or clay. Just so happens, I like working with steel.” – Frank Sciscilo
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This month, Sciscilo’s work can be seen in two venues in town. His work will be on display throughout the month of March at the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center where he will be the subject of a one-man show in the Second Floor Panasonic Room.
On Monday, March 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. his work will also be included in a group art exhibit in Town Hall. This show will also include the work of known local artists Doug DePice, Michael Cohen, Charlie Churchill, and exhibit organizer Melissa Dargan.
“It’s unusual for me to show my art like this,” said Sciscilo who owns Abaco Fence in town. “I’ve always been creative and artistic. But I’ve never been one of those artists who showed my work in a lot of exhibits. So, this is a new experience for me. It will get me out there.”
‘Physical labor’
Both shows will include Sciscilo’s paintings – which are primarily still life studies of nature and Secaucus scenery – and his limited though evolving collection of sculpted works. Although his repertoire of paintings is broader than his sculpted offerings, Sciscilo said it’s the steel works that are the more satisfying for him as an artist.
“I’m proudest of the sculptures,” he stated. “You know, welding is really physical labor. It’s not relaxing. You get hot ’cause you’re working with heat. Then you got to cool the metal down. You’re exerting a lot of energy. It’s really a lot of work! But in the end, I’m really happy with how they turn out.”
Two pieces that will be on display at the Town Hall exhibit, Sciscilo’s Rickshaw and Dragon, took him “maybe 100 hours” to complete over a period of years each. The works, he said, show his progression as a sculptor over time.
Last week the artist discussed the detail that went into making his Rickshaw, a work that was actually created from three separate sculptures.
“You see these lines here and here,” Sciscilo said, pointing to carved lines on the Rickshaw passenger that give the illusion of hair on her head and wrinkles in her clothing. “I used a tool called a dremel to cut into the metal. I used different sizes, depending on whether I wanted thin lines like in her hair, or thicker lines for the clothes.”
Each of his sculptures is fabricated from hundreds of pieces of sheet metal and tubular steel which Sciscilo welded into basic shapes before using his dremels and other tools to carve out finer details like facial features.
One interesting and noticeable characteristic of his Rickshaw sculpture is its silvery polished hue, a feature that seems unusual given that it was forged from steel, a metal usually known for its dark tone.
“There are ways you can bring out that silver color,” said Sciscilo. “You can sand it, or grind down the metal.”
The Plaza in 3D
Sciscilo is now mapping out his next few works, which he said will likely be larger than the Dragon and Rickshaw, which each weigh roughly 50 to 75 lbs.
Pointing to a paining he did of the Plaza from the vantage point of Paterson Plank Road looking towards Flanagan Way, he said, “I want to do a sculpture of the Plaza. It would be quite large and hang on the wall. Everything would be three dimensional and coming out at you – the sidewalk, parked cars, the clock, all the storefronts, Marra’s – all of that would be coming out at you…I’d like to do a few of those [wall sculptures] of the Plaza.”
The Plaza figures prominently in several of Sciscilo’s paintings, many of which will be on display at the two exhibitions this month.
As a medium, Sciscilo said he finds painting “more relaxing,” but it’s also one he’s still learning.
“I’ve been welding since I was 18. I’m more comfortable with the welding and sculpting,” he noted. “With painting I feel I still have a lot to learn.”
Interestingly, the next sculptures he’s planning seem to flow from his painted works. Like the wall sculpture of the Plaza he also wants to do an interpretation of hotdog vendors who work the streets of Manhattan.
A painted still life work of a New York food vendor is among Sciscilo’s paintings currently hanging in Town Hall.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.