Let Your Creative Juices Flow With Metal Garden Art

By Essie Osborn


No matter how stunning your house is, it won't show its full potential unless the land around it is well-kept and thoughtfully designed too. In fact, great landscape design can make the simplest house look like something spectacular. An easy way to give character to your yard and add that extra wow factor is to use metal garden art.

More and more people are opting for works of art to enhance their gardens. Metals such as iron, bronze, copper and aluminum are especially popular as the media to use. Old implements and even tin cans or other pieces of junk can get a new life as part of an eye-catching sculpture. Big or small, functional or quirky, the possibilities are endless.

A quick and easy project to start with is to make lettered signs. For this, you'll need wire, preferably quite thick, as well as pliers. Twist and bend the wire into letters to form words or phrases. Cursive lettering works best for this. Then fix the finished piece directly to a wall or a tree. Alternatively, mount it against a wooden block on top of a post that can be planted into the soil.

A little more complicated is to make silhouette cut-outs, for instance a woodpecker that you then fix to the trunk of a tree. You may also want to invest in welding equipment so that you can make larger, more intricate sculptures. Let your imagination run wild but take care that the pieces will blend in with and complement the plants.

If you have an interest in engineering, you may want to try your hand at making kinetic sculptures. These are pieces that have moving parts. Most often the movement is created by using wind or solar energy. However, you can also use battery power. Wind spinners and weather vines are simple to make and will become even more striking if you add bits of colored glass or mirrors to the mix.

If you normally prefer function over form, it might be time to combine the two. A gate or a trellis doesn't have to be a boring structure but can be embellished with curls and other shapes. Rain chains are a way to create a calming water feature that uses the water from the roof gutters. You can make sculptures that double as plant holders or bird baths too.

After some time being exposed to the elements, your metal art pieces will start rusting. You can prevent this by treating the pieces with special rustproofing paints or sprays. However, many people prefer the rusted look because it blends so well with the plants.

You don't need to despair if you don't have the skills or the time to create your own pieces. Most landscaping supply stores sell metal artworks designed for the outdoors and you'll also be able to order stunning pieces online. If you want something that nobody else has, though, your best bet is to commission a skilled artist to make you a masterpiece or two.




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