Desert Winds by Myles Howell captures the unseen force of wind through carved stone.
Flowing lines move across the surface of Yule marble, creating a sense of rhythm and motion that echoes the shifting patterns of desert sand dunes. The sculpture transforms something intangible into a physical presence, inviting viewers to experience movement through form.
Howell’s work is rooted in the natural world, often drawing from the structure of bones and the landscapes of the desert. In Desert Winds, these influences converge, blending the strength and framework of skeletal forms with the fluid, ever-changing qualities of wind. The result is a piece that feels both grounded and in motion.
Carved during a symposium near a historic marble quarry, the sculpture reflects Howell’s deep engagement with material and process. His approach emphasizes the tactile qualities of stone, using repetition and rhythm to build visual energy within a solid medium.
Raised in southern Utah, Howell continues to draw inspiration from the desert environment. He earned his MFA in Sculpture from Utah State University and now teaches as an adjunct professor while maintaining an active studio practice. His work is featured in public installations across Utah and in collections internationally, reflecting a growing presence in both regional and global art communities.
Website: MylesHowellSculpture.com
Previous Entries
Slender Void – 2025
$3,600 – 31″ X 5″ X 7″ – Portuguese Pink Marble
Sponsored by Savage Esplin & Radmall
Inquire about this piece
This sculpture titled “Slender Void,” was carved from a single block of Portuguese Pink marble that was given to Myles from a patron of his work over the years. The form follows his abstraction of bone structures found in nature. Voids are often a part of the artist’s work and are placed in specific areas to build visual interest, or drawing viewers around the form. The material itself was created hundreds of millions years ago and traveled thousands of miles to this artist’s studio. The intention is to allow viewers their interpretations of these forms.
Transformation – 2024
$6,500 – 26” X 17” X 15” – Yule marble
Sponsored by Ovation Sienna Hills
Transformation is carved from marble that I hand-picked from the quarry in Colorado. This abstract artwork is a fusion of bone structures and desert landscapes that I was inspired by while growing up in St. George, UT. The piece captures the essence of the desert landscape with its unique shapes and movements, which were altered by the passage of time and natural forces, like erosion and water movement.
Thundercloud – 2023
“Thundercloud” was based on the abstraction of cumulus clouds. The form is composed of softened voids in convex and concave shapes that mimic a floating cloud. This form creates movement, and is reminiscent of the continual changing and flowing shapes of clouds as winds carry them across the sky.
Arabesque – 2022
This sculpture is based on the abstraction of a bone form. I used flowing lines to create movement throughout the piece, resulting in an undulating abstract feminine form. I started this sculpture at an outdoor carving symposium in Marble Colorado, where this specific piece of Yule Marble was quarried.
Golden Desert – 2021
Myles draws inspiration for his current body of work from his childhood growing up in St. George, Utah. His sculptures are inspired by desert landscapes, and bones found in the Utah deserts. “Golden Desert” is an abstracted bone form, carved from Nero Portoro Italian Marble, which has distinctive veining with flashes of gold, tan, white and black. The sculpture’s highly polished finish enhances the characteristics of the stone and form.
