Gilbert Boro, along with his late wife Emily, has an interesting take on how sculpture should be viewed.

“We both wanted a place that was open to the public, had very, very few restrictions, like no 'don’t touch this sculpture, don’t climb on it’ signs,” the Old Lyme sculptor, who owns Studio 80 and Sculpture Grounds, said during an interview at his studio.

Boro encompasses the idea of art interaction on 4.5 acres on Lyme Street that house his sculptures and those of 13 other artists. The studio and grounds opened 11 years ago.

Out of the 80 or so of the sculptures scattered throughout the grounds, only one has a sign that reads, “please do not touch the sculpture.” Boro says the reasoning behind this is that he “always thought sculpture should be three-dimensional,” something traditional museums and galleries don’t always allow.

Boro’s latest show is “Think Big, Start Small.” It opened in December and runs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Sunday March 31.

“Think Big, Start Small” encompass the idea of audience interaction with art. The show has two aspects to it. The first is a series of Boro’s maquettes inside the “ESB Gallery,” which is named after his wife. The maquettes are the small, first, second and sometimes third drafts of large-scale sculptures.

The large sculptures make up the second part of the show. Visitors can look at the trials of the work in the “ESB Gallery,” walk outside, and see the large-scale finished versions. The Sculpture Grounds consists of sprawling land with works set up where Boro believes “they will be happy,” whether out in the open, stretching towards the sky or tucked quietly among the trees waiting to be discovered.

“Think Big, Start Small,” also gives visitors an insight into Boro’s thought process — from initial creation to completion.

The process is a long one for Boro, who will “spend months adjusting scales and relationships” on his maquettes before doing the final piece. He said he cannot just arbitrarily change one part of a piece without changing the others. Boro alters scale and relationship over and over again because of his love of the abstract.

“I think my brain sort of works that way. It’s the combination of some creative effort in my need to sort of explore relationships,” he said. “And this is not personal relationships, but geometric relationships, sense of scale and that fascinates me. I can do it all the time.”

Boro also goes back to ideas and concepts from years prior to garner inspiration. One of the most prominent examples is his work “Tres Gatos,” which is featured in “Think Big, Start Small.” He originally drew the concept of the piece when he was in middle school. Over the years Boro saw the same motion he drew appear in graduate school and then in his old portfolio with a drawing from 1965. The motion eventually turned into “Tres Gatos,” a sculpture that highlights his love for cats.

Boro finds inspiration through music and is currently working on pieces that he calls Musical Masterworks. He visualizes the rhythm of the music in an abstract manner and creates pieces, such as “Look at me” and “Stand by me.”

Boro is looking for other artists to participate in a Summer Sculpture Showcase at the Sculpture Grounds. For more information visit their website.