www.mindinmetal.com is an online museum exhibiting and offering for sale the metal sculptures that I have created.
At the age of 14,
I learned to weld and began working with steel and aluminum. Prior to
2002 my welding and metal working skills were applied to repairing
heavy equipment and machinery. In 2002 I began creating metal
sculptures using discarded bank safe deposit doors. Since then I have
created thirty six metal sculptures using a variety of shapes and sizes
of recycled materials. The sculpture “One Child” was
purchased 2006 for $9750.00. The sculpture “8:47 9/11” has
been offered for display in the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
New works will be displayed and offered for sale.
I primarily work
with steel and stainless steel. Most components in the sculptures are
from recycled sources and are made from carbon steel. I prefer to work
with high and low carbon steel and finish the pieces so that the
natural tone of the metal is retained. The color of steel is light
silver to dark gray, depending on the hardness and chemical composition
of the metal. Stainless steel components and welds are sometimes used
to brighten and highlight aspects of the sculpture. Rusted steel is
particularly valued since the pitting effects caused by the oxidation
process cannot be artificially reproduced. With the rust removed and
the steel color and pitting exposed, the metal is used to add texture
and character to a sculpture.
In many cases it
was a single piece of metal that inspired the concept for a sculpture.
Sometimes the piece of metal was only a small part of the finished
work. In the case of “8:47 9/11” the concept came from the
metal ring that surrounds the clock. The concepts are unlimited. The
ability to develop an idea into a sculpture is dependent upon the
availability and refinement of unique shapes that can be combined
together to create feeling in the sculpture. The creative process is a
matter of uncovering and enhancing the characteristics that exist in
the metal. In some cases the process has been spontaneous and in other
cases it has taken several years to develop as in the case of
“Conceived”.