I was approached by my attorney to create a sculpture which would emulate the spirit of his mentor, somewhat of a local celebrity and humanitarian, who had recently passed away.

The concept was to blend several aspects of the man's personality into one cohesive design. The parking meter was the initial anectdotal foundation and focal point of the design, around which everything else came together. The well-known gentleman had a particular spot he parked in directly outside the city courthouse each day in a very distinctive red Lincoln; however, he NEVER plugged the meter for the spot. Instead, he arranged to have a running tab, which he paid each and every month, at the local police station - thus the concept in his abscence - "Plug the Meter for Peek" - "Times Expires, but Memories Inspire".

Dark Brown Oak - Wire Tree Sculpture
7"H x 7"W x 8"D. The basic tree sculpture is created in 24 & 26 gauge galvanized steel wire which was treated to accept a dark brown matte enamel paint. The end of each wire is hammered flat creating a pointed leaf which is then bent downward. All the leaves are painted in bright gold enamel paint producing a visual contrast between the leaves and the rest of the tree. The tree is planted on a 4" circle made of sea sand and pebbles then bonded onto a cork base. The root mound is painted using yellow green and white India ink creating a look and texture of moss covered earth.

Bonsai Island #2 - Wire Tree Sculpture
13"wide x 16"high x 13" deep. Tree is made of 18 & 26 gauge silver colored steel wire. The branches and twigs contain hundreds of multi-colored tiny glass fringe beads. Each bead is interwoven with the wire giving the structure of the tree a more natural look. The tree, and a very interesting piece of driftwood, are mounted on various size and shaped pieces of blue stained glass. All is bound together in sand and pebbles. The sand is painted using India ink to look like moss. The overall piece has the feel of a tropical island set in the center of a deep blue sea. When displayed in direct sunlight or very bright lights, the sculpture is ablaze with reflective color.

Hi all, I fit up the brass panels the other day and thought I'd post some picts. I've still got a little more to fabricate, but a window opened up where I could go up to the the altar so I went and installed the hinges. The chapel is run by cloistered nuns, which never leave, and there are only certain times that regular people can go up to the altar. The nuns are very sweet, but it's pretty intense to be around people so dedicated. I'll be sure to post picts when they are finished. On a side note, is there a pickle to remove the discoloration around the welds without turning the area to copper? The pickle we've been using seems to turn certain areas around the weld, but not the weld itself, a copper color. Some of the spaces are kind of difficult to get the buffing wheel in. JakeBrass panel fitup 1