s a very young man, I
enjoyed working on cars, and I purchased a Long Island New York auto body shop
which had an interesting history, having been at one time a blacksmith shop,
and later a Ford Motor Company repair shop. I actually became a custom car
builder by accident when I redesigned and rebuilt my own custom car which
was featured on the July 1962 Cars Magazine cover and was given the 1962 Cars
Magazine custom car of the year award.

My award-winning custom car
on the July 1962 cover of Cars Magazine

Me with Pam Am stewardesses and my award-winning custom car
at a car show at the Idlewild Airport in 1963
Realizing I had found a profitable niche as a custom car builder, I also enjoyed
the ability to shape molten metal and always the artist, I was soon experimenting
with metal sculpting.

Me on the cover of Art Today
I was well past experimenting at this point
and this is birth by fire for one of my metal sculptures
1993
I like to think I became one of the world's earliest
recyclers, giving all types of discarded metal objects, even coat hangers, a new
life. I also found that the investment in materials became only the time
it took to gather them from the wrecks that I repaired.
The photos below are my latest garden art metal sculpture. All pieces are done with an
oxy-acetylene torch using cut and hammered steel, much like blacksmith work. Then I treat
them like a car. They're wire-brushed, primed and under coated, then hand painted and
finished with a clear sealer so they keep their vibrant colors for many years, whether they become
indoor wall art or outdoor garden sculpture. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed
giving them life. |