Forged Steel and Mosaic Wall Sculptures

Working as an artist, in any medium or genre, is always a journey and an evolutionary process. When we first started working collaboratively to create art objects, we focused on stand-alone sculptures. Once we had tried our hands at a few of those in varying sizes and styles, we were ready for the next challenge.

It was time to take our collaborative sculptures to the wall.

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Our first work in this series happened to be a commission. The client requested a piece featuring a few of their favorite critters, the monarch butterfly and dragonflies, to fit a very specific alcove in their home

The fun and interesting challenge in designing a fairly realistic piece like this is navigating the line between absolute realism and expressive stylizing. Which details are essential? What can be exaggerated, reduced, or even eliminated to create the desired effect?

The next piece in this series was inspired by a fall walk through a gingko tree-lined neighborhood.

For Kyle this was a return to an earlier subject, an opportunity to bring new skills to the work while adding the dimension of color from Johannah’s mosaic.

For Johannah this piece was a chance to explore the beautiful shifts in color of the beloved gingko leaf, from the greens of spring and summer to the golds of autumn.

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For the last two pieces in this particular run of work, we decided to return to familiar shapes while working a touch smaller and adding some geometric framing to the organic shapes.

Some things for the wall

A few recent projects designed to hang on the wall!

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Kyle created this custom wall sculpture as a retirement gift. The design is based on his Entangled wall series, customized for the line “steel sharpens steel,” an important guiding principle to the recipient of this piece.

Johannah created this mosaic address plaque for a local 1920s bungalow. She worked with the client to choose an Art Deco, Mission-style font and colors that go with the period and style of the house.

We’re always happy to work with folks to create one-of-a-kind items to fit their needs. Wondering if we can help with that special project? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message or give us a call at 804-888-9778.

Extra-large Entangled Wall Sculpture

Kyle has been working on a series of works created from flattened, folded metal pipe for a couple of years now. Check out the story of how they have evolved from fairly small bowls to extra-large wall sculptures!

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This is the first batch of folded bowls Kyle ever created. They're made from reclaimed metal pipe from demolished warehouses in the historic Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond. He originally imagined the smaller size as catch-alls for keys, wallets, and anything you need as you head out the door. The larger size would be great to hold remotes, or better yet, on their own as a sculptural item on your mantle or coffee table.

As it turned out, the larger size quickly became the more popular size. Kyle created larger and larger bowls, some so big they required multiple heats in our small gas forge. He also experimented with his first wall pieces, the original Entangled series of three wall sculptures, each about 12" x 18".

For our group show, GROWTH, Kyle created a new wall sculpture, the biggest to date. Entangled #4 measures 12" x 36".

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More recently Kyle was commissioned to created a large 36" x 36" version of his original wall sculpture. Here he is working on the piece in the studio (above), with the finished piece below.