Nick Barstad

Nick Barstad is a Colorado-based stone sculptor whose practice unites physical labor, refined sensitivity, and deep narrative imagination. Raised in a home steeped in literature, art, and history, Barstad’s early years were shaped by evenings of family reading, creative play, and exposure to classical music, mythology, and high art. These formative experiences instilled in him a reverence for beauty, storytelling, and aesthetics that continue to inform his artistic vision.

Barstad’s path to sculpture was neither linear nor easy. After years marked by personal struggle and the tragic loss of his older brother, creativity became both his survival and his way back into the world. Writing fiction sustained him during difficult times, but it was stone carving—first explored in youth and later rediscovered—that became his vocation. In sculpture, he found a medium that reconciled the many facets of his experience: the discipline of physical work, the sensitivity of artistic expression, and the narrative impulse to give form to stories and characters.

Now working full time as a sculptor, Barstad’s practice bridges homage to classical traditions with contemporary exploration. His current body of work includes a series of expressive busts inspired by both historical masters and the broader contemporary art community. Each piece serves as a dialogue between past and present, imagination and material, personal story and shared cultural heritage.

Looking ahead, Barstad seeks opportunities to create monumental public works while continuing to make intimate sculptures for private collections. Collaboration, community, and storytelling remain central to his vision. He views each carving as both a mirror of his own journey and a vessel for connection—part of the great ocean of artistic expression in which every drop, every voice, has meaning.