Welding Art Tips and Examples!
Welding art, like all art, is intensely personal and self expressive; always utterly unique.
For these reasons there can be no hard and fast rules as to design.
The only rules come in the welding techniques used and their suitability to the materials and structure of the artwork.
Designs can range from the most delicate filigree to highly creative compositions of metal junk to enormous metal sculptures.
Possibly the most frequently seen welding art is in home gardens where you will find metal birds (and other animals) set in amongst the plants, and intricately wrought gates, fences and pergolas.
As you can imagine, welding art is an almost limitless medium that tends to lend itself to the more abstract styles.
Apart from welding, metal art can be achieved by using techniques such
as beating out with a hammer, milling, casting, cutting, grinding,
brazing and soldering. Although art appreciation is a personal choice, I
have included a few pieces that I really like.
Scrap Metal Welding Art:
The images above are scrap metal art that Mike Phillips from Collinsville OK created. Mike is a subscriber of ours and he submitted these pictures to us on our Fan Page. Here's what he has to say about his welding art: "It started cause my brothers fireplace grate burned through. I said I'll make you one. Being him and his wife are so involved with the church, I cut the crosses out. Then I bought a plasma. Dead trees, leftover construction materials, etc accents the steel. It's all scrap. Bought some calf hide for one, that's it!"
Steampunk Owl Art!
This steampunk metal art sculpture was welded together by one of our favorite subscribers, Barbie Parsons with Wonderland Welding. She pieced it together from scrap metal she had left over from her awesome three tier chandelier. Says Barbie about the owl art sculpture, "A girl wanted a plasma cut steampunk owl and I asked her if I can make it 3d. She said sure and gave me creative license. I saw it in my head. I didn't measure, I just started building. The head was the biggest challenge. Never built a sphere! I got to buy body work hammers and hand formed the body, feathers, and the hat. It was a really fun project".
More Metalwork Art Examples!
- Here are metal wall art items that have a fragility that blends with a strong, positive presence. Some are muted and seriously beautiful, and some are colorful fun pieces.
- Here is a really interesting piece. It is detailed and fairly realistic, but has just that fantasy touch to lift it from being 'just a model of a bike' to an artwork. One could visualize a ghost from the past flying through the air on it.
- The work of Fedrick Nkulekelo Ndlovu blows me away. Unfortunately his site is gone. But he has the gift of capturing tension and movement in one of the most angular and unyielding media - welded metal. But then there is the artwork by subscribers to our free welding and metalwork newsletter (upper right corner of this site). We just recently starting receiving project submissions on our welding projects page, and a few of them are true pieces of art.
- Check out these 5 extreme welding art projects.
- Want to learn to make art for fun or profit? Read our article on the basic techniques you need to know if you want to pursue this fun and potentially lucrative part time or full time career.
Welding Art Marketing Tips:
If you need to make a living out of
your metalworking art, you need to become known. Get a 'shop window'.
The internet is certainly one outlet. So are exhibitions and art
markets. If your artwork fits a certain theme or falls into a category
(for instance, Gothic, contemporary, minimalist, or country) you might
try approaching similar types of interior decorators and furniture
markets to display wall panels, sculptures and other exhibits suitable
for indoors.
Garden centers and landscapers are always looking
for outdoor artwork to provide focal points to and show off their
designs. These last two outlets will probably place your exhibits in
environments that enhance them and give a good impression to would-be
buyers.
For instance, the 1959
Panhead welding art in one of the metal art examples above
would probably cause a sensation at a really classy auto show. These
may seem simple starting points, but as all artists know, if you are not
known, no-one will seek you out.
Do you have art you want to share? Just post it
below (please no advertising).
Share Your Metalworking Art Here:
Are you working on a welding or metalworking art project? Have you finished it up yet? Share it!
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