It’s easy to marvel at the talents of those who can turn old items into something new. Clothes, trash, vehicles, and electronics have been converted from dilapidated states into works of art.

Though a fictional character, one of the people who comes to mind is Spencer from the TV show iCarly. He’d sift through piles at the junk yard or pick things up from neighbors and friends in order to make sculptures. The finished works would be rehomed at art galleries, sold to clients, or simply kept at home. We can find examples of this in real life too, with gifted artists and sculptors who collect discarded pieces of scrap, transforming these into beautiful pieces of art.

In South Dakota, John Lopez has been creating scrap metal sculptures out of welded iron and other metal parts. He grew up in the ranch life, surrounded by horses, steer, and dust. His cowboy-like roots are what influences his work, along with moments in time that he can recapture through sculpting.

Lopez spent time being mentored under artist/sculptor Dale Lamphere, who works primarily with bronze. Though Lopez makes some things from bronze, he took his sculpting perspective and skills into a different direction. Deviating from the bronze we all usually see dominating museums and courtyards around the country, you’ll see lots of iron in the mix.  Lamphere had this to say about his former mentee:

“He has a highly developed eye for accurate anatomy that he integrates with found objects. There’s a layering effect that gets you involved in the details. The varieties of the parts and the memories they evoke add a real richness.”

A gallery of Lopez’s beautiful work can be found on his website, which includes stunning, larger than life pieces. Some of them include an acrobatic colt, a bison, a steampunk octopus, horses, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a peacock. One of the most remarkable pieces is a reimagining of the encounter between Hugh Glass and the grizzly bear recounted in the movie The Revenant.

Lopez often finds bits and pieces for his sculptures in the piles of his neighbors’ scrap heaps, or he collects it from other parts of South Dakota. Rusty farm equipment and tattered kitchen wares find new homes in the makings of his work. The detail that goes into his art is a result of his own eye and spirit for his prairie surroundings.

In addition to his pieces being on display in museums throughout North and South Dakota, Lopez sells his work to private collectors around the U.S. According to a story with The Bismarck Tribune, he even gifted his former high school with a sculpture. It’s also interesting to note that Lopez’s work has inspired others and he too has become a mentor to an aspiring sculptor.

John Lopez’s art is formed through creativity, talent, and a sprinkling of environmental awareness. His amazing ability to upcycle old metal into monolithic pieces is helping him to make a name for himself. What do you think about these unique sculptures? Do any of them speak to you? Tell us in the comments!