Cream of the crop circle

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A spectacular crop circle design landed a Rural Retreat artist an international award. Called “Taurus in the Rye,” the large-scale piece was a replica of the Red Bull can and was created by Bryan Lawson.
Lawson, a senior visual communication design/studio art teacher in Virginia Tech’s School of Visual Arts College of Architecture and Urban Studies, won third place in the Red Bull Art of Can design competition. He was among the more than 350 entries from 13 countries and 12 states.
Red Bull Art of Can competition challenges artists to construct pieces created with or inspired by Red Bull Energy Drink and Red Bull Simply Cola cans, according to a press release. Both professional and amateur artists submitted their designs for consideration.
“I was stunned,” Lawson said about his win. “A burst of excitement rushed through me when they told me. I was lost for words when I got the news.”
A photo of Lawson’s design and the work of the other two winners and 56 finalists were featured in the 2009 Red Bull Art of the Can Exhibition held in Union Station, Washington, D.C. Lawson won a trip to the exhibition.
“The exhibit was awesome,” said Lawson, who entered a piece in last year’s competition. “It was in front of Union Station which is huge. The space was awesome for the event. There was a live DJ, free food and drinks. It was an all around good time.”
His entry was the largest in the competition, measuring 270 feet by 100 feet. According to a press release, it took Lawson almost a full year to design and construct the crop circle of “Taurus in the Rye” culminating in three days working with a mower, grass trimmer and brush cutter at Virginia Tech’s Kentland Farm outside of Blacksburg,
Lawson undertook the project with coordination and support from Dwight Paulette, farm coordinator in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and Steve Bickley, professor of art in the School of Visual Arts, the release said.
“The idea was inspired by Red Bull,” Lawson noted. “I was thinking of their marketing and I wanted to create something that they could use. I had been thinking about some of the events they sponsor, like the air shows, air races and skydiving.”
He added, “One morning I woke from a deep sleep and the idea was there. How cool would it be to have a plane doing barrel rolls over a huge crop circle of a Red Bull can? The planes are rigged with lost of little cameras that catch shots from all angles I thought.”
To learn about serial images, Lawson contacted Bobby Williams of Williams Orchard. He designed a corn maze in the shape of a cow for Williams as thanks for his help.
“When creating a crop circle, once you cut anything, you are committed,” Lawson said of the creation. “There is no erasing, painting over your mistake or gluing the piece back on. Also, once you start cutting, you must finish. If it rains or the wind blows before completing, it destroys the entire design.”
At ground level, he could not be certain he had captured the correct proportions for the design. Only after finishing and viewing the crop circle from a helicopter did Lawson realize he had achieved the design he set out to create.
According to Lawson, he would like to work from home after graduation. Lawson and his dad, Eddie, are partners in Brushy Mountain Metal Art which specializes in building steel entrance gates, benches and signs on their farm in Rural Retreat.
Lawson’s mother, Marsha, is employed at Billy Excavating in Wytheville. Lawson has a brother, Jacob.
“Working for Red Bull would be awesome,” Lawson said. “They have a great group of young innovative professionals who seem to enjoy their work. I also have a few projects I want to finish locally so I can plan to stick around Southwest Virginia for a little while. In the meantime, I am going to be applying for jobs all over the country and continuing to make art from home until I find a job that satisfies my expectations.”
Examples of Lawson’s art may be viewed at his Web site lawsonb.com.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).