This is large mask/totem head I made for the garden. I sorta see this as a scarecrow-type of icon, only constructed of metal – a Garden Guard! Right now, this mask is ready to be displayed on the side of a garage, shed or even a tree. But I think it would look great atop a big post. The groovy hair bounces in the wind.
Here are a couple of masks I made from found objects and other stuff here in the shop. These faces are about a foot wide and weigh a pound or two. Each has a hanger on the back to display them. Wouldn't several of these grouped together look pretty cool?
I made a simple word sculpture to give to a business owner along Highway 66. I hope it finds a good spot to inspire Mother Road travelers.
I finished several Window Words this week. All of the metal sculptures were photographed on a crusty old redbud tree that stands just outside of Fossil Forge. All of these pieces are made from recycled or found materials, including the hangers.
This stake stands out against a rich green background. I used a couple chunks of slag glass to add some color. The steel will slowly age in your garden, taking on a rich brown rust color.
A simple garden stake made from castoff metals and recycled glass. This stake stands about three feet tall and would look great in any setting.
Last month, I finished a railing project for a homeowner. The old concrete steps at their house had to be replaced and with it went the original 40-year-old railing. The new railing design was brought up to current code, which means tighter gaps between the pickets and a taller size, but otherwise it mimicked the first design. The railing was fabricated and painted in my shop and installed at the site. The posts are fastened to concrete using expansion bolts. The hand railing along the brick is 8-feet long. The entire rail is solid, welded steel. Here are three shots of the finished railing.
Handed off the Bottle Tree Flower today to its new owners. It was rainy, misty morning. The setting for this sculpture to reside in is beautiful. The deck it sits on is surrounded by dense forest, creating a leafy backdrop. Now, imagine this 9-foot Bottle Tree Flower festooned with colorful bottles. At night, the piece will glow from the tiny lights that will be inserted into the bottles. Very nice.
Earlier, I showed the top of a Bottle Tree Flower. Here is photo of the stalk. This portion of the sculpture has 20 tines to slip colorful bottles over (which you can see in the background). The base is made from several things, including a very heavy machine bearing. Most of this piece is made from found objects and castoff steel pieces. This sculpture is being delivered tomorrow to its new home.
One of the first outdoor projects here at Fossil Gardens, was the construction of the fence and gates. This hand gate is now four years old and has a great patina of rust on it. The hands are from each member of my family.
Attaching the flower to the top of a bottle tree is sometimes a puzzle. This particular top has to spin (sort of) and thus making all the attachments straight and true can be tricky. But, it is now close to being complete. Just need to let the blue glass marbles set overnight in adhesive and it will ready to go.
A friend of mine, who commissioned a sculpture last year, was kind enough to send a couple of photos of the artwork. The piece looks right at home nestled among purple coneflowers and other prairie plants of their backyard garden in Kansas.
Lots of anvil work today. It's always a good day when steel meets steel. Here is a photo of my favorite hammer, tongs and anvil. In case you're wondering, that weird looking brick under the horn of the anvil is a cake of beeswax, which I use to finish some steel with.
Today was a warm one inside Fossil Forge. Had the gas forge working and did it ever heat up the shop. Worked on some hand-hammered pieces for a new Bottle Tree Flower. Each piece of steel was stretched out, twisted and hammered. Afterwards, I wire brushed the steel and coated each with beeswax, which will help it withstand the weather. This photo shows the backside of the flower portion of the bottle tree. The five wavy steel pieces were made today.
Yesterday, I was finally able to finish and hang the two garden gates I have been working on. These gates are part of a large fence project that wraps around a patio. Both gates use a cut steel design and a recycled glass sun and moon face. Each is made with round bar for the interior pickets and a square tube frame for strength. The first photo shows the two gates outside after being rubbed down with lacquer thinner to remove grease and other junk. The other photos are detail shots of each.
Need to watch to make sure I don't trip over stuff in the shop this week. Hauled a load of steel (more than 1,000 linear feet) to get ready to make a pool fence. We set the posts over the weekend and next comes the monotonous task of cutting lots and lots of steel pickets. The fence will be pretty simple design, but the gates should have a bit more artistry. Check back for photos of the finished project.
The last week, I have been finishing a new fence here at Fossil Gardens. Created to keep the family dog from plundering the pond and plants, this fence is strong, yet reflects a delicate design of nature. The style of the fence is supposed to mimic a tallgrass prairie, which over time, will provide a backdrop for the fence. I built this fence using rebar and other metal I had lying around the shop. Here are some photographs taken while under construction.
Here is a section just completed. The height of the fence is approximately 42 inches.
Here is a section welded to the posts. The bricks on the posts are just to keep the rain out until I put caps on them.
Here, the fence runs from the edge of Fossil Forge, angling across the yard. By the way, all the rock behind the fence will be used for a future pond and waterfall.
This photo shows the detail and texture of the rebar. There is no top rail to the fence. Instead, the steel grass sections make an irregular, but strong top.
This Wind Comet sculpture is aging beautifully in the garden. The recycled glass face looks great reflecting the light. A rich brown rust coats the piece as it turns in the wind. A nearby vine begins its advance up the fence and onto the sculpture.
Several new Window Words found their way out of the shop this week.
It was heavy, but we managed to move the Pressbot robot to the deck. This 6-foot tall sculpture will stand as a sentry, overlooking the yard and garden here at Fossil Forge. This robot is made from a variety of found objects, including old printing press parts.
