Great Bowl O' Fire 37 inch Sculptural Firebowl
The Great Bowl O' Fire by artist John T. Unger reveals the poetry inspiring even my simplest designs using a torch to cut flame images into a flammable gas storage tank to create a firebowl which can then be plumbed for gas is a perfect example of how I like materials and ideas to work together. That kind of layered metaphor is what I enjoy most about working with recycled materials. Even the natural patina of the sculptures relates directly back to flame in it's coloration: fiery reds, oranges, yellows and blacks.
On every Great Bowl O' Fire I cut, there is a stylized flame in the shape of a phoenix rising through the embers to symbolize the rebirth of scrap steel into something new and wonderful. The phoenix is always the first flame I cut into the bowl, the beginning of its transformation.
As Gabriel Guzman writes in The Daily Book of Art:
Who would have thought that a bowl of fire could be so beautiful? Hand-cut out of recycled steel, these bowls combine sculpture and function to create unique works of art with industrial flair that provide warmth and an exciting centerpiece for events. When in use, the flame-like edges of these bowls cast mesmerizing shadows that dance across the ground, acting as part of the art.
Fire pit