Today's 30 Days of Lists topic made me think a bit more about art. Well, about what constitutes art anyway. I mean, art isn't just a painting or a drawing. It is more than that. Sculptures are works of art, right? I mean, look at this metal sculpture and tell me it is not art. It is gorgeous!
This funny little piece was made by Scott Weaver. There isn't a whole lot of information about him online but I managed to scrape together some bits. He is a Native American from the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, CA. His maternal grandmother helped found the mission at Santa Ysabel. As for Weaver himself, he turned his talents to metalworking. He founded a company, Weaves Industries Inc., that does welding, fabrication, and maintenance for industrial equipment. But I found myself more intrigued by his metal sculptures.
All of his pieces are made from recycled materials. You can see that the little band in the first picture is almost entirely made of horseshoes. I think the tiny dome guy in the second picture is made with a bowl and some spoons. That is awesome. I wish I had the ability to look at someone's "trash" and see an art piece inside.
This is a kokopelli, a Native American fertility deity. Though I admit I find it hysterical that a fertility deity is also considered a trickster. Is that why women only seem to get pregnant when they aren't trying? Anyway, this piece features the metal rim of a wagon wheel.
That dinosaur is so cute! I'm sure he sells these pieces but I haven't been able to find any information about how to go about actually purchasing one. Though shipping would probably be astronomical since he lives in Calgary, which isn't just in another country, it's also on the other side of the continent from where I live! It would be kinda cool to have a huge chain dinosaur in my front yard. I don't think my husband would appreciate it though.
While I have never done any welding and I have never made anything this awesome, I wonder if this is something I would be able to do. I have taken classes on making your own metal jewelry. How to turn a metal wire into a ring and things like that. I don't have a place in my house that would be an appropriate workspace for that sort of thing. (Which is why I wouldn't actually try to make a metal sculpture. I just wonder if I could.)
I guess I've rambled on enough about this. I'll leave you with a couple more pieces I found that are amazing. These ones aren't just sculptures made of recycled metal material. They also are back-lit. I think that makes them look cooler. Maybe everything should be back-lit. It would give things a mysterious sort of vibe, wouldn't it? You can see the outlines and shadows but not the actual piece. Hmmm....maybe not.