VIOLETTA, VIOLIN SCULPTURE Sculpture

I'm a general contractor in Rocklin, California.I started building casual art forms from everyday building materials for Halloween decorations to please the many visitors who visit my Halloween display every year. In 2003, I received a 135 MIG welder for Christmas and that's when I had an awakening of my artistic abilities. My first project was a 13-foot tall fire-breathing dragon named after my Dad, Frankie, which I made with mild steel. I soon discovered I liked the way steel looks when its sanded and wire brushed. The problem with mild steel, however, is that it soon rusts so it has to be painted. I quickly moved into stainless (T-304, T-0316) and begin creating large scale sculptures. Stainless steel is in a class of its own and is 2 to 3 times harder than mild steel because it contains nickel and chromium to keep it from oxidizing (rusting); and it is about 5 to 7 times more expensive. To compound matters the hardness of the steel makes it almost impossible to sculpt. I go through an exorbitant amount of grinders, sanding discs and cutters which are also very expensive and can only be bought at specialty welding shops or custom ordered. Even the gas I use to weld with is custom and expensive because it contains what is called a Trimix CO2, argon and helium. All of my sculptures are hand crafted by cutting, bending, pounding, sanding and welded using a MIG Welder, large sheets of stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze, wire and other natural materials to form unique one of a kind art forms. Each piece is an expression of life and life experiences. The use of stainless cements and projects a permanence of the minerals that compose the natural elements found in stainless and reflects the organic light emitting from each creation. Influence: I am fascinated and many pieces in my collection were influenced by my immense interest in science fiction, fantasy and the Gothic Era. I don't look at the art from the Gothic Era as being influenced by religion, cults or anyone or thing. I see this type of art as a true expression of the artist. They took their talents and their materials, and just created. This is the way I like to create; I have an idea in my mind sometimes it appears as I see it, sometimes it becomes something else and what it is, is what it turns out to be.