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When most people think of wall art, they
visualize paintings. Before discovering metal wall art,
that was our view
as well. Our home was decorated throughout with
framed, two-dimensional art works. About 25 years ago, we were
introduced to a metal sculptor who created three-dimensional
metal wall art made of steel, brass and copper. Upon
seeing his work, we were completely captivated
by the textures and shapes of the metal wall
art medium.
Unlike
framed art, metal wall sculptures introduce new shapes that
add a sense of drama to a home.
More
importantly, metal
wall art introduces a new interplay of light and shadow
that changes
over the course of the day as the sun changes position
and in the evening when the interior
lights are turned on. Perhaps you have never noticed, but most homes and
offices
are dominated
by right angles created by doors, windows, and rectangular walls. Framed
wall art reinforces these angles,
whereas metal wall art breaks up this strict
geometric discipline
to introduce more life
and emotion into the interior
environment. For many of us, metal wall
sculptures take the edge
off of a very structured space, rendering it more
enjoyable,
relaxing and
livable. Throughout
this catalog you will find many fine examples of metal wall art, glass
wall art,
and
complimentary accessories sculpted from steel,
copper and brass. We also provide metal
wall art and metal
wall sculptures for gardens and outdoor display.
We represent the
finest metal wall art artisans working in America today,
many with over 20 years experience. Some
have developed unique, proprietary techniques that make their metal sculptures
truly outstanding. Bovano of Cheshire has
mastered the art of applying fused glass to
metal, achieving remarkable colors not usually found in metal wall art.
Gary
Caldwell is a master sculptor of
stainless steel, whose stunning creations appear
to change color with the viewer's
perspective. Max Howard's metal wall art and metal wall sculptures
utilize verdigris patinas to set his traditional sculptures
apart. Often imitated, but never matched are
the works of Ken Scott, who specializes in metal wall art depicting
nature
themes of the Northwest. Suat Gurtan, the Florida artist famous for his
large metal wall art creations, brings us an exciting
array of large tree sculptures. Catherine
Foster brings us delightful abstract metal wall art as well as her famous
"Peace
Prevails" robes and kimonos. Sculptor John Keyser
brings us the wonderful "Dance Troupe" collection of metal
wall art
and tabletop sculptures. These are but a few of the American metal
sculptors represented in our collection. We invite you
peruse our catalog of treasures to see what grabs your fancy. A good
starting point is our Wall Art menu or our Catalog
Index.
Over the last decade we have seen an
increase in the average size of a home. The walls are larger and offer
more decorating
opportunities. Few things are more dramatic that a large metal wall
sculpture on a large wall or multi-story open spaces like
entries , atriums or stairways. Metal wall
art transforms these wall spaces into
three-dimensional constructs of shadow
and light that changes the nature of the interior space by warming up or
cooling down the perception of the surrounding area.
One of our more popular metal wall sculptures is the "September
Tree" by Suat Gurtan. Measuring nearly 5 feet wide, three
feet tall and a foot deep, the design is a windswept tree, nearly
devoid of leaves, finished in black. This fine example of metal
wall art adds a real sense of drama to a room. Not only has this wall
sculpture proven popular for larger homes, it has also
been featured in upscale commercial spaces. Suat has created several
other large trees that work well in larger spaces. You
can click here to view his vision of metal wall art for modern homes.
"I have a huge wall. I like
several of your wall sculptures, but I don't know how to get
started." This is a very typical question
asked by our customers. We offer the following advise. First, get an
idea of how the size of the piece will look on the wall.
A good way to do this is to use blue painters masking tape to mark off the area
on the wall where you are considering placing
the metal wall art. Stand back and take a look at the wall. Does
that size look pleasing to you? Should the metal wall
art be moved a bit? This is a quick and inexpensive way to try a few
alternatives. You will notice that the higher up on the wall
that you place the metal sculpture, the smaller it will appear, so take that
into account as you plan your wall. Another tip: If
you are considering multiple pieces of art, find the most pleasing position for
the largest of the sculptures, then try arranging the
smaller metal wall sculptures around it until you find the most pleasing
arrangement. Keep in mind that lighting will also have an
impact on the appearance of your metal wall art. Carefully aimed spot
lights can provide can add drama to your arrangement
We have worked with several corporate,
institutional and government clients to fulfill their need for custom metal
wall art. We
look forward to working on these exciting projects because they
provide the opportunity for our artists to be creative in new
ways and to present their works of metal wall art to a larger audience.
Metal wall art has found favor in such settings because
of its drama, beauty and durability. Click
here to see some examples of what our artists have done.
In our 21 years in this business we have
seen many changes. When we first started, most of the metal wall art being
sold
in the U.S. was made in America by American artisans. In the 1990's some
of the larger providers of metal sculpture moved
production overseas, principally to Mexico. Then in the late 1990's
production started to move to China. During this period
we saw a decline in quality as well as costs. Today much metal wall
art is made overseas and is being sold at very low prices.
While consumers may benefit from lower prices, the quality has suffered as well
as the design. Many of the designs are poorly
disguised copies of the work of American
artists and, over time, the designs have morphed
so that they look more
Chinese than American. We believe it is important to preserve and
encourage American art and took the decision several
years ago to emphasize American made metal wall art. Yes, it is more
expensive than the overseas copies, but we believe the
superior design and quality is worth the price. Does that mean we
would not offer foreign-made metal wall art? No. We are
always open to high-quality, well designed metal art, regardless of the
source. The key point is quality and originality of design.
We do not support cheap imitations of someone else's work. Currently, all of the metal
wall art, metal wall sculptures, and
freestanding metal sculptures
included in our site are made by American artists located in the United
States. We hope our
efforts will help preserve
our unique artistic culture and encourage young Americans to enter the exciting world of
the metal arts.
It is hard to say when metal wall art
first came into use. Most likely the first iteration of metal wall art was
the display of metal
weaponry, such as spears, knives, swords and axes. We know that such
weapons were highly decorated and often used for
ceremonial purposes. The first metal wall art beyond weapons was
probably murals done in bronze or copper relief. This art
form proved very dramatic and lasted many generations. When
the more modern approach of forging and welding various
metals for form a composition first came into play is not
known. In the United States, metal wall art went through a wave of
popularity in the 1950's and 1960's. Abstract metal wall
sculptures were popular during this period as well as nature themes.
The art work was generally produced by individual
artists, but this period also saw the formation of small
companies who
specialized in metal wall art. Two of the
earliest pioneers were Bovano of Cheshire and Artisan
House. Of the two, only
Bovano of Cheshire metal wall sculptures are 100% American made, maintaining a 50
year tradition.
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