Featured Artist Christian Schoenig

Artist Christian Schoenig uses reclaimed metal to create fantastical sculptures inspired by nature. Find more of his work by visiting his website.

 

 

I create sculptures from the cast-off, worn out bits of the industrial world. I source raw materials from old farm dumps, scrap metal dumpsters, small engine repair shops, generous local mechanics and the like.

 

 

If it is steel and has a shape that speaks to me, I will use it. An old circular saw blade may become a moose rack. The handle of a pair of tin snips turn into the mouth of a trout.

 

 

Shortly after graduating college, I saw a flyer at the grocery store for an artistic welding class being offered by a local metal artist in nearby Wheelock, Vermont. The class introduced me to oxy-acetylene welding and the ability to liquify and transform metal into new forms.

 

 

From the first class, I was hooked.

 

 

After the class finished, my welding was put on hold due to a lack of funds to purchase my own equipment. About five years later, my grandfather, who was a career mechanic and general tinkerer, passed away. Some of the things he left me were his welding torches.

 

 

I set them up and began relearning what I had begun five years prior. Since then, I have transitioned from oxy welding to MIG welding.

 

 

My shop is basic. It isn’t wired for electricity, so I run an extension cord from my house to power my equipment. My tools consist of angle grinders to cut, grind and clean the metal, a small torch and hammers to heat and bend material to shape, and a MIG welder to put it all together.

 

 

In the dead of winter, I let the numbness in my toes dictate when I need to take a break. Then I venture back into my house to defrost by the woodstove and refuel with the caffeinated goodness of a fresh mug of coffee.

 

 

Rather than pre-plan my creations, I let the metal and the process guide me. I know the general subject, but shape, size and structure are revealed as I work.

 

 

My sculptures are beasts of land, sea, air and myth. I love the process of taking cold industrial bits and transforming them into works of art that represent organic living creatures in the natural world.

 

Artist Christian Schoenig invites you to follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy.

 

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