Bronze sculptor John Lopez builds large and powerful beasts completely out of metal. From buffalo to cowboys on horseback, Lopez welds layer by layer of iron together to form life-sized creations filled with interesting details and texture.
His welded art style of sculpture was born through experimentation and a lack of necessary supplies. When the artist found himself out of materials to build a fence around the family cemetery, the artist made-do, using any scrap iron he could find on his uncle's ranch. The results–a completed gate and a small angel–were well received and thus a new career path was born.
Since then, Lopez has found ways to blend his talents as a bronze sculptor with scrap metal art to create his strikingly beautiful work. Born and raised on a ranch in Western South Dakota, it's not surprising that Lopez builds the things that he knows best: horses, cows, cowboys, and prairie wildlife.
“I am never bored!” says Lopez. “I look forward to each new creation, and it is helping me grow and develop as an artist.”
