Born 1962, Providence
Lives and works in Santa Cruz, California

Light on a Wheel, 2014
Bicycle wheel, carbon fiber, and pearlescent paint
Chosen artwork: Emmanuelle (2013) by Chris Fraser

When Craig Calfee saw a photograph of Chris Fraer’s Emmanuelle, it immediately brought to mind the wheel of a bicycle. When he discovered that it was not, in fact, a two-dimensional image but a complex sculpture that utilizes LED lights and reflective surfaces, he was even more intrigued. In his own riff on Fraser’s design, Calfee replaced the glass and aluminum plate with a bicycle wheel. The addition of carbon fiber spokes and the same reflective paint that initially inspired Fraser is intended to suggest the spinning of a bicycle wheel and heighten the effect of redirected light. Subtle shadowing adds another layer of dimensionality.

An early innovator in bicycle design and the use of carbon fiber frames, Craig Calfee is the founder and CEO of Calfee Design, Inc. He holds five US patents for inventions ranging from composite bicycle frames to ground-to-air watercraft. He also creates programs that teach residents in developing countries how to build their own sustainable bamboo bicycles.