The name Warren is no longer just associated with literature at Western anymore.

Sculptor Gabriel Warren, son of acclaimed novelist Robert Penn Warren, gave a presentation yesterday before about 50 people in the fine arts center. The Robert Penn Warren Center and the art department sponsored the event.

Warren discussed how his father influenced his sculpting.

Warren showed a slide show of his visits to the Sahara Desert and England with his family. He said these family trips influenced his sculptures.

“Travel is important,” he said. “I travel to look, to learn and to grow. That’s something I learned from my parents.”

Warren said his father’s ability to be distant from his source when writing influenced the way he sculpts. He said he has the same school of thought as his father on work.

“Everything feeds the work,” he said. “Even when he was riding in a car, in the back of his mind the wheels were always turning; that’s the way I work.”

Louisville senior Stacy Lienhart said, as an art major, she appreciated Warren’s presentation.

“I like the way he uses his photographs,” she said. “They actually mean something to him. They influence his work.”

Lienhart loved his photograph collection and learned it is hard to determine size when sculpting.

Kim Chalmers, art department head, said he was very pleased with Warren’s work and his presentation.

“His use of nature and how they reflect where he’s been gives us a chance to go to those places and see them; that was very satisfying,” he said.

Reach Stephanie Toone at [email protected].