About this Sculpture
- Artist: Josh Randall, Steve Rubinkam, Jeff Blandford, and Joshua Russell
Big Fish
About the Artist
In 2008, Big Fish began as a sidewalk chalk sketch on the garage floor of artist Josh Randall. He envisioned a colorful 12-by-8-foot metal sculpture that would come to life in a vivid, joyful way. Painter Stephen Rubinkam joined Randall in the project, collaborating to hand-paint the fish’s scales in bright colors using a wide variety of shapes and materials.
The sculpture was first installed in the courtyard across from Beery Field (now Borrowed Time). Throughout the summer, children were invited to help bring Big Fish to life by attaching the painted scales to its frame. As the sculpture evolved, the community watched its transformation unfold. Each child who added a scale became part of the process, deepening the connection between the artwork and the people who helped shape it.
In 2010, the sculpture was exhibited at ArtPrize, an annual art competition in Grand Rapids. Afterward, it returned to the courtyard next to the Rubinkam Gallery, where it remained until 2012, the year Stephen Rubinkam passed away and the gallery closed.
Time and weather eventually took a toll on the sculpture. Local glass and ceramic artist Jeff Blandford restored Big Fish by designing new glass scales, reviving the piece with brilliant color once again. The sculpture was then placed in a highly visible public space by the Saugatuck/Douglas Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Later, a series of storms damaged the glass scales. Artist Joshua Russell, a designer, sculptor, and fabricator from Grant, Michigan, was commissioned to recreate the scales in copper and steel. Russell is known for repurposing scrap metal into animals, birds, and floral forms for both residential and commercial clients.
Location
95 Blue Star Hwy, Douglas, MI 49406
Experience this Sculpture
Walk around the sculpture.
Find the largest shapes in the fish.
Notice how triangles repeat throughout—on the head, the fins, and the tail.
What textures can you name on these triangular forms? Look closely at the surfaces. Some are polished, others more dull.
Look for circular forms.
What do you notice about the pattern created?
The copper shapes create a focal point across the body of the fish, drawing your eye toward the copper “eye.”
This same curving movement is echoed in the supporting elements of the sculpture.
One final question
Why do you think Russell chose yellow for the supports?
