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Decorating with metal wall art creates a world of possibilities for collectors and interior designers. Metal wall art offers visual effects impossible to achieve using other materials, changing its character with variations in light and viewing angle to bring a range of moods to any room.
I make my colorful metal wall art originals using heat colors. Because they patina the steel without obscuring its unique metallic qualities, heat colors enhance the decorative grinding textures, which bring the artwork to life.
There’s nothing like seeing them in person, but this video will give you a feel for the dynamic effects possible with these heat-colored metal or wood and metal artworks.
In essence, my grinder is my paintbrush. I use it to create texture and effects like transparency, movement, form, and depth as a base for the heat colors I apply to the steel.
As you will see, I make much of my metal wall art with wood as a contrast. I love incorporating wooden elements in my wall art. The character of the carved and textured wood provides a perfect complement to the metal.
As the metal wall arts encompass works made using various techniques, patina methods, and a range of artistic styles, choosing the perfect original begins with finding an artist with whom you resonate.
I often blend figurative and abstract forms in my metal art. Many pieces are pictorial and could be considered paintings on metal, though I use heat colors rather than pigments for my artistic palette.
Though you’ll find other metal wall artists using heat colors in their work, few combine advanced heat-coloring methods with decorative grinding techniques to make metalwork paintings as I do.
The metal artworks on this page are currently in stock or available by custom order sized to fit your space. Whether you’re looking for a focal point piece or for metal wall accents, if you resonate with my artistic style, you’ve come to the right place.
Though I spend most of my studio time working on commissioned metal art for individuals, businesses, and public art projects, I also find time to create my unique ‘metal paintings’ for The Dean Gallery here at our place in Homer, Alaska, and have them available here in my online metal art gallery.
My heat-colored steel wall art, metal and wood wall sculptures, and larger metal murals are available as one-of-a-kind or limited edition originals.
As they are not inexpensive, and I make a limited number each year, I reproduce images of my metal art as sheer satin metal photo prints to make them available in different sizes to a broader audience.
And if you don’t see the perfect piece for your setting, with 40+ years of experience as a professional metal artist, I can create original metal wall artwork that complements your setting and aesthetic vision.
If you live in Alaska and are looking for Alaska metal art, you can view my work in person at The Dean Gallery here in Homer, AK.
I’ve been making metal and wood wall art since the early ’80s. My article, ‘Colored Metal Wall Art, Four Decades in the Studio,’ has many examples if you’re wondering about ways to decorate with metal wall art.
This photo shows a large round octopus engraving framed with a wooden disc hanging in the open stairwell.
The natural light from the adjacent window shows the metallic colors well as you climb the stairs.
If you don’t see what you’re looking for or need one of my designs in a size to fit your space, look over my commission’s page to discover the benefits of ordering custom metal wall art and sculpture.
As a metal artist, I make my heat-colored steel wall art and wood and metal wall art using techniques I’ve developed over the last few decades to create single and multi-layered steel wall art.
I engrave and grind designs into sheet steel using carefully chosen abrasives to define and model forms, create a sense of depth and suggest movement. My grinder is my paintbrush, while my color palette consists of heat colors made by heating the steel artwork with a large torch.
I use this innovative technique to produce pieces with a dynamic visual effect that changes with the light and viewing angle.
Variations in natural and artificial lighting highlight the metallic effects, giving each work an extensive range of characteristics unique to the medium.
You can read about how I got started working as a metal artist, see more examples of the various types of wall-hung metal art I make, and get ideas for the places you might consider displaying metal wall art in this article.
This timelapse video shows one of the later heats when heat coloring ‘The Last Mammoth’ organic abstract metal wall art.
You can read about my public art projects in my blog. ‘Through Your Spotting Scope,’ my first ‘big’ public art commission. I made the large metal mural using decorative grinding and heat coloring techniques. The curved wooden boarders are joined from many sections of reclaimed Douglas fir. It’s installed on a protected wall under the sprawling roof of Kesugi Ken Interpretive Center. You can see some good photos of the beautiful building on the structural engineer’s website.
"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."
Although I make most of my decorative metal art as wall pieces, much of it is also suited for display horizontally. The colors and grinding textures catch the light beautifully in this orientation.
I’ve made a number of decorative tables over the years, which you can read about in this article. If you’re short of wall space or are looking for a coffee table, dining table, bar, or conference table, a decorative table is a great way to incorporate heat-colored steel metal art into your decor.
• 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!"
• At the Breathing Hole
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."
Some of my first sculptures were wood carvings and I was carving with wood and making wood sculptures long before I discovered metal wall art.
As you can see from many works in my metal wall art gallery, wood is an excellent complement to metal in wall art. The softer feel and warm finish are a perfect contrast to the metallic character of the steel.
Juxtaposing wooden elements with metal shapes in my metal wall sculptures creates contrast and often helps the artwork to harmonize with the surrounding architecture.
I sometimes use metallic pigment powders to stain the wood giving the three-dimensional forms a slightly metallic appearance.
If you’re interested in the process and technical aspects of assembly, I’ve written all about how I make my wood and metal wall art in this article.
‘Fishing Bear with Raven’ was one of my first pieces of wood and metal art. It’s around 8′ tall with maple elements in contrast to the heat colored steel shapes.
Many of my contemporary metal art designs are available in a variety of sizes as affordable sheer matte metal prints. You’ll find them in my Metal Photo Print Gallery.
If you are a metal artist and want to learn to make heat-colored steel wall art or level up your decorative grinding and heat-coloring skills, check out my online course.
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