Iron to Art
Creating abstract sculptures from repurposed farm and agriculture machinery, while preserving the integrity of the pieces of metal that earth, weather, time and hard work has c
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Taking something that was designed for hard work, and then discarded after serving its purpose, giving it a new life as a piece of art is a natural extension of my life in agriculture.
My life as a fourth generation farmer and rancher, has cultivated the inspiration for my sculptures – the earth, weather, time and hard work have shaped me and the pieces of metal I find and use. Preserving the integrity of the pieces of metal from farms and machinery scrap and composing them into abstract sculpture comes from a deep affinity for the materials I use. Knowing the purpose that the materials and pieces where once used for and passing it on to others gives me a unique opportunity to honor my heritage and agriculture.
I am often asked about the thought processes that I draw on to make my pieces. There is no detailed plan that I have formulated when I start a new piece. The first step is to wander my inventory of parts and pieces accumulated from used agriculture dealers, farm equipment bone yards, and farm auctions. It seems as though a piece says “It’s my turn"; I pick it up and take it to the welding table. Often, I take several pieces and make multiple trips, moving pieces back and forth from pile to table and back. At some point, I stop and just observe the pieces often several times. I am sure this is when my wife thinks I am taking a nap. I feel very grateful that I can just stare at piece and visualize the adding and subtracting of pieces and changes in shape. I like to say from the time a pieces says, "it's my turn",until I finish, it’s the parts and pieces telling me what they want to be.
I have not had any formal art training. In high school I took a pottery class one semester. 40 years later, I decided I wanted to try my hand at ceramics; I have enjoyed this medium for the last 15 years. About a year ago I was looking for a different medium to add to my abstract ceramic pieces. The result has been a focus on abstract repurposed sculpture. In the coming months I hope to revisit ceramics and combine the two mediums.