Dan Johnson with his companion Lucy at the beach
I have been building things out of found material for as long as I can remember. As an adult I still keep an eye out for discarded items and try to figure out a way to use them again. I truly admire depression era people; they were truly the masters of repurposing. Later in my life I started working as an auto body technician and became fascinated with metal work. The enjoyment of welding and shaping metal, led me to learn blacksmithing and now I have been working with metal for more than 30 years. I am fascinated by how metal can be used in so many ways, from welding, forging, machining and casting. I have always loved repurposing found materials even my shop /studio was totally built out of recycled materials. In my latest work “Junkyard Critters” I use only used automobile parts. Putting the pieces together in such a way that they can still be identified and lend them to the desired look and personality of the sculpture. Each piece is named and given a personality; these personalities come to me during the creation process and develop almost by magic. I try to make as many parts on the Critter moveable so the viewer of the art can interact with it. Each piece is unique and one of a kind. A certificate of authenticity comes with each sculpture and is signed by me and notarized.
Dan Johnson in the paint booth giving each critter their unique coloring