January 31, 2008 Maine sculptor John Bisbee preps for museum exhibition Play video

(NECN) - Maine has always been a haven for artists, but don't expect lighthouses or landscapes at John Bisbee's new exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art.

Bisbee works with tongs and red hot metal spikes. He twists and pounds the 12-inch spikes with the authority of a blacksmith.

His new solo show "Bright Common Spikes" represents 20 years worth of conversations he's been having with nails of all shapes and sizes.

What's striking in the variation in the pieces is that some of Bisbee's sculptures seem as delicate as a spider's web and others look like they've been stuck together by prehistoric birds.

Bisbee freely admits that he's consumed by his art, when he's not teaching at Bowdoin, or playing in his rock band.

NECN reporter Amy Sinclair talks to this Maine sculptor about his unusual art forms.