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Making Sculpture and Original Wood and Metal Wall Art for Homes, Businesses, & Public Places since 1981

Art by Alaskan artists, Jeff and Ranja Dean

Jeffrey H Dean

Jeffrey H. Dean installing bearing picking picture as part of Through Your Spotting Scope percent for art commission at Denali State Park.

I’m a sculptor and metal artist in Homer, Alaska. I’ve been making sculpture and original metal wall art professionally since the late ’70s.

My business card still says: Sculpture – Clay, Wood, Bronze, Stone, Steel +…

My affinity for working with a wide range of materials allows me to create art that integrates with and compliments its surroundings.

Use this page as a jumping-off point to explore my site.

You’ll find a brief introduction to The Dean Gallery and our online store, my public and private commission work, our popular Dean Homestead and Art Studio tours, and my online metal art learning resources.

An example of metal wall art made using decorative metal grinding techniques.
'Seal Moon Rising' -Detail from 12' x 5' Heat-colored steel engraving I made for the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Center in Bethel, AK.

Heat-Colored Steel Original Metal Wall Art

Though you’ll find my organic style reflected throughout all of these media, there is one aspect of my work that is distinctive.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve developed a technique I call heat-colored steel engraving. I use it to make my metal wall art and multi-layer metal and wood wall art.

This unique style of decor consists of engraving and grinding designs into sheet steel using carefully chosen abrasives to define and model the forms, create a sense of depth, and suggest movement.

I patina these pieces with heat colors which I product using a large torch.

They are integral to the surface of the metal, coloring but not covering the grinding patterns.

I use this innovative technique to produce pieces with dynamic visual effects that change with the light and your viewing angle. 

The interplay on the metal’s surface of variations in natural and artificial lighting gives them a range of characteristics not found in art made in other materials. 

It takes a two-dimensional work beyond the limitations of a static viewport, transforming it into one with rich and varied characters.

Though many of my metal art designs are influenced by my surroundings here in Alaska, not all are Alaska-themed.

This video will give you a sense of the dynamic quality of the surface treatment.

Coastal
Upland
Riparian
Fen
Meadow
Alpine
Bog
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Recent Work

New signs for the Pratt Museum Botanical Garden

  • Watch timelapse videos of the design process.
Metal Wall Art Originals
Bronze Sculpture
Metal Photo Prints
Wood Sculpture
Relief Sculpture
Giclee Prints
Organic Abstracts
The Dean Gallery
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Collect

Shop Online or Locally at The Dean Gallery

  • Metal and Wood Wall Art
  • Bronzes
  • Wood Carving
  • Relief Sculpture
  • Specialty Prints
Designed for Your Space
Attention to Detail
Brand Focused Imagery
Heirloom Quality
Aligned with Your Vision
A Cohesive Approach
Like It's Always Belonged
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Commission

Art Created Specially for You

  • Aligned with Your Vision
  • A Cohesive Approach
  • Designed for the Space
  • Attention to Detail
  • Brand Focused
  • Heirloom Quality
  • Metal Artwork and Sculpture
See Creative Architecture
Meet Remarkable Animals
Visit Working Art Studios
Walk Winding Garden Paths
Learn about Homemade Tools
Browse The Dean Gallery
Learn about Timber and Cordwood Construction
Learn How We Make Our Art
Hear about Innovative Farmstead Solutions
Enjoy Inspiring Views
Ask about Jeff's Timber Jig
Hear about High-Tech Heating
Herb, Flower, and Vegetable Gardens
Not So Tall Tales
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Tour

Enjoy a Heartfelt, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind Experience

  • Visit Working Art Studios
  • See Creative Architecture
  • Herb, Flower, & Vegetable Gardens
  • Unique Animal Breeds
  • Browse our Family Art Gallery
  • Homestead Ingenuity
Learn the Fundamentals
Master the Nuances
Six Value-Packed Modules
Avoid Trial and Error
Demonstration-Based Learning
Comprehensive Workbook
Express Your Creative Vision in Steel
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Master the Art of Heat-Colored Steel Engraving

  • Enrich Your Metal Arts Knowledge & Practice
  • Avoid Learning by Trial & Error
  • Learn in a Matter of Weeks What Took Me Years to Discover
  • Six Value-Packed Modules
  • Video Demonstrations
  • Comprehensive Workbook

I flew to King Salmon at the end of June 2022 to install this 16′ wide layered stainless and weathering steel wall sculpture at Bear Trail Lodge on the Naknek River. I’d made a heat-colored steel and birch decorative coffee table for them a few years ago. 

Despite their status as a world-class fishing lodge, I didn’t make it fishing, as I was only there overnight and finished the installation with a couple of hours to spare before my return flight. Nonetheless, I had plenty of time to enjoy their excellent hospitality.

Just saying, if you’re considering an Alaskan fishing trip…

Heat-colored steel engraving depicting fly fishing in the early morning along the Naknek River. A fly fisherman casts his fly in the early morning light.
Morning on the River - Heat-colored steel

"He exceeded the expectations of all involved in the project."

• Through Your Spotting Scope

"Jeff Dean was a pleasure to work with and provided an exceptional piece of artwork months ahead of schedule.

His website was used to provide real-time updates, detailing every step of the process. 

I was most impressed with his ability to collaborate with the client and design artwork which synergized with the vision and purpose of the Interpretive Center facility. 

He exceeded the expectations of all involved in the project."

Jeff Dean stands beside Through Your Spotting Scope, recently installed at teh new Kesugi Ken Interpretive Center.
Eric Hershey, P.E.
Project Manager
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
"My family and I have come to treasure this work not only for its beauty but for what it has evolved over time to represent in our Alaskan home. "

• Denali Table

"My family and I have enjoyed the beautiful creativity of Jeff Dean's artistic production in our home for nearly 20 years. This has been in the form of the "Denali Table" which depicts various Alaskan wildlife pictured on iron set over a gorgeous wood table with metal coasters set around the table's periphery depicting the "foot prints" of all the pictured wildlife. This piece has been the topic of so many joyful conversations and memories and truly has forged lifetime memories for so many. I value this piece more than any other work of art in our home. My family and I have come to treasure this work not only for its beauty but for what it has evolved over time to represent in our Alaskan home. Thank you so much Jeff for sharing your gift with all of us!"

Denali National Park; the mountains, rivers, animals and animal tracks. Engraved steel  saw blade metal wall art with heat tints.
Jim Tamai MD,
Fairbanks, AK
"The sculpture was better than we imagined it would be"


• At the Breathing Hole

"We commissioned Jeff Dean and Creative Fires studio to create a sculpture for our entryway. Jeff sat down and discussed the possibilities with us. We decided to have him create “At the breathing hole” to be done with a combination of wood and steel.

We can’t believe how wonderful it turned out. The sculpture was better than we imagined it would be. Jeff sent us pictures throughout the process so we could “watch” it being created and also invited us to his workshop to see the progress.

We highly recommend Jeff for any work you wish done. His talent and creativity are amazing and we are extremely pleased with the work he has done for us."

Keith and Melissa Kenaston
Owners, Crane's Rest B&B
"He came by the house, and after discussing themes and commenting on the beautiful masonry job, he came up with a design that complimented the stone work rather than hiding it."

• Mountain Man w/ Raven

"I met Jeff at Art in the Park in Blowing Rock. He had an impressive portfolio, and as I'd recently built a new home in Linville, I asked him to design a wall sculpture for the tall stone fireplace. He came by the house, and after discussing themes and commenting on the beautiful masonry job, he came up with a design that complimented the stone work rather than hiding it. It is a beautiful piece and was a special part of the house. I enjoyed it for many years, and now, 20 plus years later, the family that currently owns the house comments on it often."

Fireplace mantle and pierced cherry relief of hiking mountain man and raven.
John Blackburn
Manager, Eeseola Lodge
Linville, NC
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