Starr Kempf outdoor sculpture

Starr has had little recognition outside of Colorado Springs, and it is really too bad, because the guy is a fantastic artist and visionary. All of these sculptures are located at the Kempf residence near Cheyenne Canyon, and date back to 1977. Starr was keenly interested in creating an environment where each of these sculptures relate to one another even as they stand alone. The material is painted steel, and there are many moving parts. The sculptures slowly swing back and fourth in the wind, several rotate, and the round parts with fins spin, like a roof vent. He did all of this from a tiny little workshop set along the street, below the house a little bit – eventually each sculpture is too large, and he is out in his driveway for the final assembly. Starr committed suicide in 1995, and some of the sculptures shown here may have been removed due to ongoing legal issues with the city and neighborhood. The house gives some scale, but take my word when I say these are BIG sculptures.