Art can be created from any medium really, and as we all become more aware of our wasteful ways and the impact is has on the environment, more and more artists of all disciplines are re-using and recycling a variety of materials.
In today’s post, we are focusing on art made from something so seemingly uninteresting and utilitarian as nails. I have to confess that I had never before looked at a nail and thought of turning it into a piece of art, but after seeing what these talented artists have done, I may give it a shot!
Furniture and Art
Korean artist Jae Hyo Lee creates both functional and purely art pieces from burnt wood and bent and hammered stainless steel nails. The image below with both a piece of furniture and wall decor illustrates perfectly how his technique works for a variety of projects. His award-winning art has been shown in exhibitions all over the world and can be found in many private collections.
Photos: Jae Hyo Lee
Mosaic
Albanian artist Saimir Strati has become famous for creating huge mosaics using a variety of mediums. He currently holds the Guinness world record for largest toothpick, cork, paintbrush, screw and nail mosaic. His 6.5 x 13-foot nail portrait of Leonardo da Vinci was created with the help of over 880 lbs of nails.
Photos: Saimir Strati
Portraits
Czech photographer Vlad Artazov has done a whole series of “portraits” of nails. It is amazing how they are transformed into “living” creatures with expressions and emotions in his pictures.
Photos via Izismile
Hammered Portraits
The life-sized hammered portraits, mostly studies of the human form, by British artist Marcus Levine consist of thousands of nails and a very clever use of blank space. The appearance of each piece change slightly in different light, and I can’t decide if looking at them up close or from a distance is more impressive!
Photos: Marcus Levine
Wild Animals
Pennsylvania artist Bill Secunda creates huge sculptures from various metals, steel, nails and tubing. Many are installed in surprising places, like the 18-foot fire-breathing monster in a swamp and the 35′ spider in a motor sports arena in Alabama, but my favorites are his large animal nail sculptures.
Photos: Bill Secunda
For more metal wall decor, also see my Metal Art and Metal Wall Art posts.
