In my sculptural work, my objective is to escape the preconceptions of forms and find new juxtapositions of seemingly incompatible elements. I strike to achieve balance between elemental and complex shapes and forms, extending and overcoming established expectations. I work primarily in abstract direct metal sculpture. I began creating salvaged steel works years ago while I served as Chief Engineer in the tug boat industry. I salvaged metal from the basins along Washington and Oregon rivers and fabricated them in my barge studio. In more recent works I have revisited salvaged steel, combining it in instances with fabricated cold forged volumetric sculptural forms.
sculptures and images copyright 2021 Joel Heidel
