Metal Artist
In 2015, I visited the Sawdust Festival Winter Show at Laguna beach and met Shamus Koch, Found Object Artist / Sculptor. Shamus was selling these wonderful metal art pieces at his booth and I was overwhelmed with his creativity and ability to weld and design used pieces of metal junk into art and beautiful sculptures. I asked Shamus if I could take a class in welding and the next week I was at his studio learning, I haven't stopped since, learning that is.
Shamus trained me on a stick welder and I found the ability to change/melt metal molecules into different shapes and to combine pieces permanently, very exciting. Welding with a stick welder was a great start for me but I felt the need to have more finesse in the process so I graduated to a MIG welder. The MIG (metal inert gas) allowed me to fine tune the degree of heat and the speed of the wire feed depending on the thickness of the metal I was welding, this gave gave me a much cleaner and precise weld. I was also able to lay a weld bead to paint with molten metal and draw on metal, a favorite process of mine. I am a big fan of Gerald Biresch, www.ironhammerforge.worldpress.com , Gerald, is a true professional at this technique and I love his work, please visit his website. I also enjoy the work from www.dospistolasmetalworks.com.
I have added more equipment to my to my tool arsenal including a plasma cutter, English wheel, planishing hammer and all the basic grinders, saws and metal sanders as well as an Oxy-acetylene welder. I have all the tools needed to bend, shape, cut, heat and weld metal. I am also now experimenting with brass, copper and aluminum.
I am self trained on these new tools and I find that youtube is an incredible resource for learning how to use my new equipment and to understand the mechanics of how artists design and make metal art using these tools.
I get ideas by Googling, metal sculptures images and print out the pieces I find interesting to me and try to emulate them with my own version. I also have created some original art and I love to make crosses, I have never made the same cross twice.
I went to Mexico and learned from some of the local artists new techniques and ideas of creating bigger pieces with more elaborate shapes and details. My passion for creating metal art has just begun. I have so many ideas, I only lack two elements to create these ideas and those are time and experience, I am still a student and continue to learn every day. I usually produce one new piece about every two weeks as I only have time to work on them on the weekends and my spare evenings, still got a day job.
The other passion I have is to teach what I know to friends that want to learn and my special student, Eliah, my granddaughter, she is a natural artist and I hope someday she will pursue this art with the same passion I have.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to continue adding more pieces from month to month. I don't sell any of my work, I keep them or give to my friends and family. Maybe someday I may consider selling them but I will have to be a master of this art before this happens, so it will be awhile.
Gomo
At my Home Studio
