Gallery of Early Metal Sculptures
Most of my sculptures are made from salvaged copper wire and brazed together. The piece is then patinaed with a chemical concoction that turns exposed copper to a dark brown. Some sculptures, shown below, are made using metal coat hanger wire.
May 2, 2008 The following pieces were made in late 2004 and 2005 & some are somewhat crudely rendered. I was learning the crafting process and, as mentioned several times below, used sketches of other artists as a basis for the learning process. Some may take exception to this practice, however, many artists 'imitate' other people's work(e.g. Roy Lichtenstein). My usual practice is to give credit to the original artist if their influence is significant...
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*** Are Items That Have Been Given Out
| These 4 sculptures are hung in my living room over the sofa. The piece on the left measures 22"x24" . Some of the frames in the following seem to be distorted. Probably this is due to a lens effect. You are assured that the frames are indeed made square. |  |
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I used one of Picasso's sketches as a model for this lady. The background on this and the other three is made from coffee bean bag burlap and painted. The frames are painted primavera that I salvaged. Probably, it is a little ostentatious that I put my own signature in wire at the lower right. *** |
| Another Picasso. I find it appealing that the individuals face is so distorted...as much of Picasso's seems to exhibit. |  |
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Unlike the other pieces, this is completely my own creation. It is made from coat hangers and crate strapping. *** |
| A sculpture of a west coast artist was used as the model for this piece. I made a few changes from the original that I felt necessary. |  |
Another sculpture from the artist mentioned above was used for this rendering. Some slight bending is needed to adjust some of the subject's features. Also, I need some bracelets on the wrists. This sculpture is just a little over 10" tall. The hair is my idea and is some #12 stranded wire. *** |
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This rather alluring woman is about 17" tall. The background, off-white linen is a part of a sack full of remnants I bought for a quarter at a 2nd hand store. The cloth is mounted on a piece of junk particle board. The sculpture is held to the mounting board by tiny wires that are tied off in back. A chemical patina solution was applied to the copper wire to turn it a dark brown. I find the art nouveau character appealing. |
This sculpture is a little over 20" tall and is made with a thicker(8 gauge)copper wire than those above. As you can see, her hair is a little finer wire. The piece still has to be attached to the background which is some particle board I dug out of a dumpster, shaped and painted. *** |
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I used a cartoon by Ken Fallin published in the Wall Street Journal as a model for this wire sculpture. The collar and eye lashes are 16 oz. copper sheet. You might be able to guess who the subject is. (Hint: She used to work for H.P.) Click here for answer. In addition to the brown patina applied, I blackened the eyes and eyebrows with a marker for emphasis. The frame is about 22" tall. |
| This sculpture is made from metal wire coat hangers and brazed together. The leaves mimic some I brought back from the sunshine state and are made from scrap, thin galvanized sheet. An ebonized base(using India ink as pigment) is made from a piece of oak counter top. Attached beneath the black base is a piece of scrap 16 gauge, polished scrap steel to add some support. *** |  |
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Shown is my Nancy Lamott sculpture. It is about 17" tall. Again, I used a Ken Fallin cartoon from the Wall Street Journal as a model and he used the album cover as his model.
Although the sculpture 'doesn't look like her', I do believe it conveys a certain sadness she was experiencing in the early '90's. Ms. Lamott was a popular cabaret singer that died in 1995 after a long series of illnesses. I have most of her albums and, if you are interested, see http://www.nancylamott.com/
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This is my imitation of an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture. Andy uses natural materials like grass, plants, rocks and such. He uses this circular, nest-like theme in several of his works. Mine is made from metal, coat hanger wire brazed together. The piece is about 32" wide and 28" tall. This picture, taken out of the context of it's surroundings, leaves something to be desired. Google on his name with 'images' selected to see some of his work. Click on this sentence for a relevant Goldsworthy work. |
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Wall jewelry or choker or bracelet. It is 32" long and about 6" wide and my own, original design. The mesh and the clasp/chain are made from metal, coat hanger wire and brazed together. The end pieces are hammered sections of some metal strapping that once held rail ties together. The flower and leaves are some scrounged, thin, metal heating ductwork. The hangers had to be annealed(in my bar-b-q grill) to make them ductile and easy to bend on my jig. Burning off the zinc of the duct metal produced a very nice, mottled patina. |
These two plants qualify as funky yard art. They are made from scraps of things I had and were reluctant to throw out. Nice thing about these is they are very drought resistant. |
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The model for this Arthur Miller Sculpture was another Ken Fallin drawing that appeared early 2005 in the Wall Street Journal. It measures 17" x 21 " and is made from scrap copper wire and junk air duct sheet metal. High heat was applied to the sheet metal to give it the surface texture. The frame is part of a piece of particle board shelving I dug out of a dumpster. |
| The model for this rather naughty(to a few)sculpture was another Picasso sketch he called 'Femme'. The panel was a part of a shipping crate. I have,since, removed the 'PG-13" tag because it seemed tackey. At first, I thought it would be cute. The work partially covers my AC unit in the side yard. It will probably be the butt of neighborhood jokes. |  |
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Another sculpture from a Picasso sketch. I made it for a good friend. It's constructed from metal coat hangers. Somehow, I really connected with this piece. It's about 17" wide. *** |
| This object isn't really a metal sculpture but placing it on this page just doesn't seem all that inappropriate. I refer to it as the Metaphor In My Yard. Nancy Lamott did a very nice rendition of Days of Wine and Roses on her Johnny Mercer album and I just had to put this Door Marked Nevermore(..that wasn't there before..) in my side yard. The door is another side of that shipping crate mentioned above. The posts and hardware I bought. A more detailed story about this structure can be found on my Bio-Blog Page . |  |
Click Here To See My Sept 2005 Projects
Click Here for Oct 5, 2005 Yard Art Stuff
Click Here for Nov 2005 Projects
Last Update Feb 5, 200