Today we’d like to introduce you to Dale Lewis.
Dale, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After leaving my career as an electrical technician and machinist, I had time to explore three-dimensional art. I began making traditional mosaic sculptures and enjoyed the results. However, they are not well suited for permanent installation outdoors and cannot withstand the freeze/thaw of our harsh Minnesota winters. So, in 2010 I bought a welder and started experimenting.
I discovered that metal provides greater flexibility and working with scrap offers a wide variety of materials that often influence the design of my work. Not only can my pieces be permanently installed outdoors, but I love turning scrap into art. I look at things differently, especially at junk yards.
My goal is to make each of my pieces entertaining, fun and recognizable as having been crafted with salvaged materials. I’ve never felt that art has to be profound or deep to have an impact. So, while it’s important for the viewer to get the recycling message, it shouldn’t necessarily override the simplicity of the main purpose which is to make people smile.
My hobby has become a full-time obsession. There’s no turning back now – this is what I want to do, when I grow up!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In 2015, I began entering my sculptures in Sculpture Walks around the Midwest. It was a great way to get my art on display in many different cities and settings. Sometimes I would have 20 sculptures in 20 cities or more. While it was exciting, installations became a challenge. Coordinating the locations, dates and times within 4-6 weeks each spring, meant I was on the road and not able to spend that time creating new sculptures.
By 2018, submitting applications for so many Sculpture Walks was taking up a lot of my time, so I hired my Fine Art Representative, Mecca Page. Over the next few years, we put together my first Traveling Exhibit called Scraposaurs. Scraposaurs features 14 large-scale dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. The exhibit first went on display in June 2021. Having a traveling exhibit meant we could scale back on the number of Sculpture Walks, freeing up my time, but the traveling exhibit presented its own problems.
While Scraposaurs became successful, traveling from Sioux City, IA to Eau Claire, WI and then to Winchester, VA, finding shipping companies to move the sculptures became a big challenge. Aside from insurance carriers not wanting to cover the sculptures during transportation because they were art, we had problems finding reliable companies, drivers and the proper trailers needed for the sculptures.
For a year, we stopped promoting the exhibit altogether. But, we finally found a great shipping company that’s proven to be reliable and we’re happy to share that Scraposaurs is currently on display at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Overcoming the shipping challenge enabled us to create four new traveling exhibits this year!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a self-taught welder who has now become a sculptor, I’m possibly best known for my ability to take scrap metal, recycled materials and found objects and turn them into award-winning art. My first goal is to make people smile when they see my sculptures. My second goal is to bring awareness of the importance of recycling and reusing materials that otherwise may end up in landfills.
Many sculptors use new materials and finish their pieces with paint. I don’t. I specifically want my sculptures to be recognizable as having been made of salvaged materials. Anything that has been painted in my sculptures comes from the original factor paint job.
I’m proud of the fact that many cities across the Midwest have bought my sculptures for permanent public display.. Most often it is the result of that sculpture having won an award voted on by the people of that community.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was a young kid, maybe in 3rd grade, our class went on a field trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. There was a 40 foot-long sculpture of an iguana named “Iggy” near the entrance. I was blown away by it!
The sculpture is still there today and is made of 13,000 railroad spikes and weighs 4,000 pounds, Northfield native Nick Swearer was just a high school student when he made the sculpture. It took him 4 years to finish it.
When I started making sculptures in 2010, I looked up Nick to see if he was still sculpting and he was. None of his other sculptures inspired me quite like Iggy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artistdalelewis.com
- Instagram: @artistdalelewis
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/artistdalelewis
