Welded Sculpture Pieces

I wanted to share something that I just started "playing" with... A few months back I had been thinking about some larger sculpture pieces that would be out door sculptures. As I thought about and sketched out some ideas, I realized that my bases to the sculptures would need to be strong and able to support the weight. I needed to figure out how I was going to accomplish that problem along with a few other ways to connect the pieces to already established bases.

When I was younger, about 13 years old - I would go to work with my dad. There at work my grandpa, had a cutting torch and a welding machine and alllllllll kinds of other things to "play" with. My grandpa would teach me and my cousin how to use all these different tools that they had- and gave us "jobs" to practice on. We learned everything from using bandsaws, the lathe, and other tools -- to working on car parts -changing transmissions, brakes, radiators- anything and everything!! --  I remember one time my cousin and I were taking the back end off of one of the trucks which was up on jack stands. We took a lunch break and during that time there was an earthquake and the truck jumped right off the jack stands and smashed down on the ground! We were lucky not to have been under it!! 

Getting back to what I was saying: I remember being in 7th grade and was out in back of the "shop" (their store) with  a huge 6 foot high x 6 foot wide - 1" steel shelved  unit. It had multiple doors on the front that were used for safes, much like a wall of safety deposit boxes. My grandpa gave me the cutting torch left me there to cut it all into smaller chunks of metal. The sparks just chewed holes allllll through my cloths! HAHAHA... Man, I just lol thinking about how I was this short lil kid wearing that huge helmet and thick huge welding gloves cutting away!! 

These thoughts came to mind when I ran into my problems with the artwork pieces, and I wondered if welding might be a solution for me. It had been years since I had done anything like that.... MANY years! hahaha  -- So I decided to take a Welding as Sculpture class at Mt. Sac and the class has been great! You can come in for class or come in on ANY other day of the week if you need more time, but better then that - just about all the supplies you need are free to use!!! If anyone is interested in learning -- I think it is the CHEAPEST art class I have ever taken! 

 I have been really busy working on other artwork and the art exhibit - but I wanted to share a little of what I have been working on in that class - we have been cutting flat sheets of metal and then welding the pieces together to create the different 3D shapes. Starting off with cubes, rectangles and then moving on to curved shapes, next is to combine the different shapes together to create a larger metal sculpture. Other then these specific things, we are able to create anything we want with any of the machines there! 

Right now I am just focusing on creating the basic shapes -- so these are obviously unfinished and not "cleaned" up - the larger rectangle has had the welds on the sides ground down. The cube, I just last week welded together. -- I love the way the metal has a stained on burn - I find the colors really pretty, and love the abstract images. You can see that on one of the sides the burn stain (I am sure there is an official name for that) -- It looks like the face of a man, the forehead, bridge of the nose and the darkened eye sockets..... 

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