Sculptor Jamie Thomas certainly lives by the creed that “one man's trash is another man's treasure.” The New Zealand artist creates striking animal sculptures from steel, often working with reclaimed materials. He's particularly fond of using discarded horseshoes, which he shapes and polishes into everything from horses to dolphins.
Recently, he's acquired over 6 metric tons of horseshoes thanks to a farmer who has been collecting them for over 20 years. These, together with the aluminum race plates also given to him by the farmer, are keeping him quite busy. Luckily, Thomas enjoys sharing his creative process and often posts videos on Instagram.
In them, we see everything from him drawing the initial shape and creating a steel frame that will hold the horseshoes to him firing, manipulating, and polishing the metal into shape. The results are extraordinary and speak to the real creative possibilities of using scrap metal to create fine art. For Thomas, who began his artistic venture using the horseshoes that are still his primary medium, knowing that he's working sustainably is important.
“I like the added challenge of using scrap steel—it gives more wow factor when people see the final result, plus it has a feel-good zero footprint aspect to it,” he tells My Modern Met. “I have a good piece of mind knowing I'm doing my part for the environment.”
In fact, Thomas is so passionate about his approach to art that he hopes others will follow in his footsteps and start using horseshoes creatively.
“I'm currently working on making YouTube tutorials to show people how to make horseshoe sculptures,” he shares. “Starting from basic right through to expert level. My aim is to show people exactly how to make everything you see me make.”
Get inspired by Thomas' unique sculptures below and follow him on Instagram to see how he continues to use his haul of horseshoes.
Sculptor Jamie Thomas uses discarded horseshoes to create dynamic animal sculptures.
A farmer recently gave him 20 years’ worth of horseshoes to use for his artwork.
View this post on Instagram
He's been busy sculpting and sharing his creative process on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Thomas enjoys knowing his artwork does not negatively impact the environment.
He hopes others will be inspired by his example and see the horseshoe as a viable artistic medium.
Jamie Thomas: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Jamie Thomas.
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