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To create the sculptures, James welds, grinds, and blowtorches. The trick is hiding the welds. It’s harder to make the smaller pieces because the welds are harder to hide and it’s difficult to see the small details through a protective welders mask all the while holding them with big leather gloves. Not a trained welder, James has learned on his own which metals weld best and which can be mixed. Dissimilar metals cool at different rates. James learned this with his first piece. The legs have since fallen off of the frying pan he welded them onto.
To weld, James clamps a metal piece from the welding machine onto the sculpture to create an electric circuit through the artwork. It’s similar to the clamps used to jump a car battery. When done correctly, it smells like Fourth of July sparklers and sounds like bacon frying. James then lets mother nature do the rusting to help hide the welds. He has experimented with a variety of chemicals to quicken the rusting, but nothing works as well as nature.
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Above: James welding an unfinished and unnamed piece. Left: Grinding a piece resembling the planet Saturn titled, “Planet of Junk.” This piece almost killed James. He was inside of it welding when it began to roll. Luckily he made it out without getting hurt. James’ art is dangerous. His family, three dogs included, get tetanus boosters |
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