Category Q 
Art/Sculpture

Instructions: Review the entries in this category and make your decision on which entries in this category have your vote for first place (gold), second place (silver) and third place (bronze) awards. Make a note of your choices so that you have them to reference when you are ready to vote. Once you have chosen your three winners in each category (there are a total of 10 categories), you can place your votes online by submitting a Top Job e-Ballot. Only one member per company is allowed to submit a ballot. Questions or problems? Contact us.

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Q-0001

Crinoïdes

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Designer
Total Labor Hours: 1400
Finish Type: High gloss urethane paint
Materials Used: 6061 Aluminum
General Description: An outdoor art installation built from 6061 aluminum. The flower-like forms are inspired by prehistoric underwater plants which are found in fossils on the site of the school. We worked off of a wax scale model and a computer rendering provided by the artist. Measurements were taken from the two sources to shape and place the pieces. Custom bent pipe sections for the stems were assembled into modules that could be fitted together on site. The flower petals were individually forged and formed both hot and cold to create the shapes and volumes needed. Rough forms were created on a hydraulic press by bumping annealed aluminum plate into a urethane block. More complex forms were forged hot using temporary fixtures and special mallets. All surfaces were planished and sanded by hand and the individual petals fit together for seamless transitions with no visible welds. Our biggest challenge was building a piece too tall to stand up in our shop.

Q-0002

Daylight in the Marsh

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 81
Finish Type: Patina and clear coat
Materials Used: Steel Copper & Brass
General Description: When our clients asked what should go into the niche high in their stone fireplace, I too quickly blurted out one word - Ducks! Design approval was fast - only one drawing... The vegetation, ducks and frame are crafted from steel sheet, angle, tube and flat bar. The background is a copper sheet with an applied brass sheet horizon. The duck wings are made from layers of sheet metal. To give the sculpture depth, the wings project out from the background by 1-1/2" to 2". The trailing edge feathers were scalloped by lightly hammering into a custom die. The ducks, cattails and leaves are polished. The copper is 'aged' by spraying with an ammonia/vinegar mix. Everything received a clear acrylic coating. How are the ducks secured 'in flight?' Rare earth magnets... The owner's reaction once installed "That is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen!"

Q-0003

Eternal Heart

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Designer
Total Labor Hours: 518
Finish Type: Sanded
Materials Used: Stainless Steel
General Description: In 1847, the Choctaw Nation, having recently endured the arduous journey known as the “Trail of tears”, selflessly came together to raise over $170 (equivalent to $5,000 today) to support the Irish during the Great Famine. That gesture formed a bond between the Choctaw and Ireland. This sculpture “Eternal Heart” honors that eternal bond forged between the Choctaw Nation and the people of Ireland. The 8’ tall stainless-steel sculpture was fabricated using a template to form the contours and curves of the pieces. The faces were hand formed, and the sides were attached providing a box structure. Each section was fabricated separately and then threaded together to create a true knot. A non-directional finish was then added to the piece.

Q-0004

In Our Hands

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Designer
Total Labor Hours: 140
Finish Type: Industrial Alkyds
Materials Used: Mild Steel
General Description: This artwork was made from mild steel and painted in industrial alkyds. It stands 18' wide by 16' tall and is 10" deep. The faces were plasma cut from 3/16" plate and then 18ga panels were cut and contoured between the layers. An internal framework was incorporated into the lower section and a 1" baseplate to keep it heavy at the bottom. It was shipped in one piece and installed.

Q-0005

Not Quite Swords Into Ploughshares

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 10
Finish Type: Burnt Oil
Materials Used: Steel
General Description: A few months ago, a young man came into my smithy with a unique request. He had mustered out of the military after serving in Afghanistan as an artilleryman. One of his jobs was to disassemble artillery pieces that had been decommissioned and scrap them. Upon his discharge he brought with him a small memento of his service time…a non-critical piece of a howitzer cannon. A few years later, when he learned of his respected former commanding officer’s impending retirement, he wanted to do something special for him. He came to me to see if I could forge something from this hunk of howitzer steel for his C.O. After much discussion it was decided to make a presentation tomahawk for his retirement. Not quite the biblical quote (“…and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares...”) but more like “…and they shall forge their howitzers into homages.”

Q-0006

Pipe Dreams Skate Park

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator/Architect Jointly
Total Labor Hours: 488
Finish Type: Pre-oxidized and Field Painted
Materials Used: A606 Steel Corten plate, 4” Square Steel Tube
General Description: Pipe Dreams, an interactive sculpture at a skate park, recalling a legendary 1970s skateboarding spot “Desert Pipes”. Each Pipe made of ¼” Corten Steel Plate material. Two out of the three Pipes are fully functionable for use of skateboards with the Center Pipe having a built-in bench with negative cutouts for light diffusion and form. The interior is painted to look like water. The Park was open and active during installation with the skating boarding area being on an elevated platform, adding difficulty to the installation. The “Skateable” portion required a precision fit to avoid harming skateboarders during use.

Q-0007

Remnant

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Designer
Total Labor Hours: 400
Finish Type: Rust Finish
Materials Used: Steel
General Description: This project called for a Rail Trail sculpture re-using some twisted century-old girders from a collapsed mining headframe. They were re-worked into two abstract segments of a spoked wheel, as the mine once housed a large Cornish pump with a flywheel of similar size. The faceted gems and machine elements serve as hubs and represent the minerals and equipment found in the mines. The spokes are century-old railroad rail from different mills around the country. The sculpture was too tall to go on a lowboy, so a special open deck trailer was fabricated to allow the sculpture to ride below the frame and then lower into place using jacks and cribbing. All connections were bolted as obtaining structural welding certifications for each component was out of the question. Plain rust finish.

Q-0008

Sam’s Memorial Fountain

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 425
Finish Type: Bronze was sandblasted with fine garnet media, chemically blackened, then hand rubbed with minwax base and trewax topcoat
Materials Used: oil clay, lost wax process cast bronze
General Description: This fountain was conceived to create an environment for a client’s previously commissioned (by others) bronze sculpture of their son they lost at about eight years old. We decided to create an environment of joy so that he would be forever playing in the water with his new-found friends. The project included sculpting six unique life-sized animals we call “critters” from sculpting oil clay packed over welded armatures. Four critter-spitters were cast using the lost wax process in bronze: (1) 18” turtle, (1) 7” wide frog and (2) unique 18” tall fish, along with hand forged bronze 32” cat tails. Not pictured, (1) lost wax 20” tall cast curious little rabbit and (1) 3 ½” large snail, surrounded by hand-forged bronze snowdrop flowers. Bronze stands were made for the two spitting fish so they can be moved freely within the pond. Water inputs were ½” copper tubing with 5/8: barb fittings ready to receive a flexible supply-line hose.

Q-0009

Tree Chandelier (...How Hard Can It Be?)

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 1750
Finish Type: Wirebrushed hot steel and satin lacquer clear
Materials Used: Steel
General Description: This is a sculpture based on a Japanese Maple the homeowner relocated from a previous residence. The sculpture is primarily formed of hand forged 1/8" plate steel and various diameter pipe for smaller pieces. The primary concern was wiring the sculpture for lighting, with weight being a close secondary. There were quite a few challenges with this project - the technique for forging hollow structures was addressed in some older publications, but nothing of this scale was discussed. A custom spring tool was developed for the grooving of the plate steel, which was forged in pieces, shaped, and then welded together. The finish for the project is wirebrushed-hot steel with a satin clear coat.

Q-0010

Wind Public Art Piece

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 318
Finish Type: Galvanization, Metal Coating, Everclear Clear Coat
Materials Used: Steel
General Description: This forged and fabricated steel sculpture, titled Wind, is inspired by the image of a deteriorating shipwreck blowing in the wind. The cantilevered structure is anchored to a six-foot-deep reinforced concrete footing. The base features a large rolled plate with waterjet-cut holes, connecting to vertical bars with 52 hot-punched and drifted holes. Custom-machined two-sided tenons secure the assembly. The entire sculpture is welded together for stability. The finish includes hot-dip galvanization, followed by a bronze metal coating and a two-part clear coat for added durability. The primary challenge was engineering and fabricating the cantilevered design to maintain structural integrity while achieving the desired aesthetic.

Q-0011

Watching You

Is this a joint venture: No
Category: Art/Sculpture
Designed by: Fabricator
Total Labor Hours: 225
Finish Type: Polished and heat treated
Materials Used: Stainless steel, copper, mild steel and wood
General Description: “Watching You” is a life-size elk sculpture forged from stainless steel, copper, mild steel and redwood base. Twisted juniper tree-horns are hammered and textured stainless steel, unlike a deer horn which is a symmetrical curve, an elk horn has multiple uneven curves so the first horn isn’t too bad, but matching the opposite horn can be a challenge. The head is hammered from stainless overlayed with stainless ovel punch outs and copper. The tongue and is copper, as are the teeth. The ears are hammered stainless and the hair in the ears and beard were made by unraveling a 1/4” stainless cable. The biggest challenge was shaping the neck so that his head is turned “looking at you” which was accomplished by segmenting mild steel to the desired shape. The eye is stainless ball bearing. The base is large redwood root I got in Northern California, and the forked tree is twisted juniper.