For the Southern Dakota sculptor John Lopes, old iron is more than wasteful rubbish. It is a material for making unique sculptures in real size with a breath from the American West.
In his hands, obsolete and discarded farm equipment is recycled into forms of iconic beings from the West, such as a bison, a horse, a plowing field, or a long-bred Texas bull.
Before embarking on this original project, Lopez prefers to make his bronze sculptures. He first worked with iron scrap when he made his aunt's tombstone.
So he begins to experiment with the material by turning into a sculpture every piece of metal he finds or someone gives him.
"My favorite thing in these works is their texture," explains Lopez. "I just grab a piece of the pile and start welding it - if you take enough time and attention to it, the result is really a unique texture I've never seen before, I think it attracts people too."
credit:stand