Black Cat

When the last of my wife's and my parents passed away we got two kittens through one of my wife's co-workers to fill the void: Malden and Bella

Malden was mosty black with white on his chest and paws.  He passed away suddenly when he was about a year old.  He was my little buddy and was always very happy and always under my feet.  I miss him greatly.  This piece was inspired by Malden and his memory,  He brought a lot of joy in the short time he was on this earth.






Woodpecker

Woodpeckers continue to be heard in the trees around my house so I decided to create another version. 

This one has a cut nail for it's head and ball bearings for it's eyes while a trowel forms the body.

Solid round steel discarded from other projects form it's legs.

This item is usually always for sale in my online store.



Size: 4" wide x 13" tall

Hinge Easel

I purchased a bucket of miscellaneous "junk" at and auction and in the bottom of it was several old rusty hinges.  

I ended up making a few easels with some of them by welding them into a 90 degree angle so that they held their form and welded a lip to the front to hold the item placed in it so it wouldn't slide forward. 



Six:  6 inches wide x 6" tall.

Perched

Similar to the "Two Old Crows" piece, this bird is a Lone Ranger.   He sits alone, perched atop a piece of discarded 1/2" solid metal round stock and watches over the garden.     

These creations have proven quite popular and, as in all of my creations, the birds are all unique based on the "junk" on hand to create them.

Centipede

The nice thing about having been an artist in junk metal for awhile is that family and friends think of me when they are cleaning out their garages, basements and sheds.

One day I came home to find this garden implement on my porch.  After taking off the handle I instantly saw a whimsical centipede in it.  All I had to do was add some antenae and it was done.  One of the fastest and easiest projects I've ever done.


Size: about 5" wide x 16" long and 5" tall     

Flower Arrangement

While rummaging around a local antique store, I found this wonderful metal vase that was just screaming for some industrial junk art flowers.    My studio is nevar at a loss to have faucet handles and other industrial castoffs that can become flowers.

This flower arrangement is great because unlike fresh flowers that bloom for just a short time, this one will never die and will always be in bloom.



Size:  14" wide x 27" tall 

The "Ole Fishin Hole"

I remember as a kid watching "The Andy Griffith Show" with Andy and Opie walking side by side and Opie picking up rocks and tossing them as they walked.  This whimsical rendition of a fish is what I pictured on the end of Opie's stringer.  

Made from all discarded metal, a shovel head is the main component of the the body with an old fan blade for its gill and a saw blade for it's top fin.  Other found metal has been manipulated to form the remainder of the fish's body.

This piece is along a path and points the way to "The Fishin Hole"

   

Drill Bit Dragonfly

While rummaging around flea markets, I noticed that there were a lot of old auger bits to be had.  I think the only person that I've recently seen use a bit and brace was Roy Underhill on his PBS show "The Woodright's Shop".

I created this dragonfly by using the auger bit for it's body, cut nails form th wings and ball bearings form it's "buggy" eyes.

I have actually had dragonflies perch on my dragonfly in the flower bed.

Size: 9" wide x 9" long

Long Neck Goose

This goose was inspired by a trip to Brown County Indiana for a log cabin tour.  At one of the homes on the tour, the homeowner had a crow bar stuck in the ground much as you see it on this goose.   I just happened to see it at the right angle and instantly saw a goose neck in it. 

Luckily, when I got home and started digging around in my junk pile I had such a crow bar.   The body is a farming implement and discarded rebar form the feet.

Overall size is 28" tall,  12" wide and l4" deep.

New Etsy Site

Earlier this year I opened a new shop at Etsy called  "Industrial Dirt" .  Industrial Dirt was a name that I came up with that described the miscellaneous metal items that I would use to fill pots of flowers at my other shop where I sell junk metal art.

It turns out that there are artists out there that use what I can't in pursuit of their art forms.   Instead of letting these valuable items rust away in the bottom of a flower pot, I will offer them at my new shop.  Perhaps there will not be an interest in some of these items and that is OK.  I will just use them as filler as I did before.