Awesome Arts of Steel - Creating Beauty Within Alloy

All around the globe steel art is now another name for awesome creativity and aesthetics. World famous designers are using stainless steel sculptures and figures in both exterior and interior designs of architecture. The steel art has brought forth a whole new chapter to the concept of art and has challenged the so long stereotyped perception of art-which was merely confined in the easels and brushes of painters. Today’s modern sculptors forge steel, weld scrap materials and redefine beauty in steel hard forms.

The art of steel first started to flourish in Thailand. Hence, somewhere around the early ’80 couple of designers started to show their talents in making astonishing figures using scrap materials only. The developing manufacturing industry of Thailand made scrap steel art easy by providing raw materials in abundance. The commercial production of steel arts in Thailand didn’t start until 1987. This year after the release of the very first series of Predator sequels, 5 of the most talented designers came forward and took a project that was never ventured before. They started to make a 1.5 meter tall figure of Predator using scrap metals only. They appointed another 20 people for additional assistance. It took all these people four months to finish the project. Due to lack of internet or graphics software back up- the entire design was copied from a 1 meter tall poster of the predator. Today, hardly anyone can beat Thailand in making life sized steel figures of sci-fi figures and animals.

If we are to name one single artist who has shown conspicuous skill in branding beauty on the cold forged body of steel- it has to be Barret DeBusk. Words that will first strike your minds while putting a glance on his works will be- whimsical, kinetic, satiric and FUN! Mr. Debusk bends the rods with his hands and makes a huge assortment of different characters as well as scenes. Later he welds the figures together and puts them in a frame by using some more rods. Most of his sculptures are free standing, and he adds little leg patterned metal at the bottom of his works. With the right angled balance pieces attached to the sculptures they can also be mounted from the wall and be given an amazing 3-D look! Also the shadow that is being cast by these black metal figures add an animated flavor to the whole concept.

The artist also jazzes his characters up-which mainly are the source of fun in the creations. Ultra cool musicians, insouciant diners, jaunty boulevardiers, enrich the collection of DeBusk’s creations. The piece called "Live to Ride" shows a dashing couple traveling uphill in great speed, their hair streaming with the wind while flames are shooting from motorcycle wheels. Soap opera fans might find it interesting since it has been inspired by the set of “The Young and the restless”.

All of his designs come in limited editions (never exceeding 100) and are available in three different sizes (small, medium and large).