John Lopez |Sculptor

SPECTACULAR SCULPTURES MADE FROM SCRAP MADE BY JOHN LOPEZ.

He currently resides at his ranch located in South Dakota, United States and that is where creativity and ingenuity to achieve shape each of his works

John Lopez, a native of Lemmon, created the statue primarily using scrap iron donated by local friends and neighbors. The portrait of Ed Lemmon is cast in bronze making this monument a Hybrid Metal Sculpture.

Eastman’s Corner Farm Market near Kensington, New Hampshire—Black Hawk’s permanent home—can thank several of my scrap suppliers for the unique parts on this sculpture. The plentiful, charred plow discs and the brass bell hanging from the tail were recovered from the ashes of collector George Burns’ charred outbuildings, and dozens of pieces came from Kenney Tomac’s stash. I used these real farming elements to represent the story of agriculture in mini-landscapes on the horse, including a section of rolling hills along the back; the broad prairie horizon on one side of the neck; and an abstract representation of the essential Missouri River, which divides South Dakota’s farm lands in half.

“These many hidden elements are tucked throughout the piece; I even included the small model I used to perfect the proportions, welding it into Iron Star’s chest. The collection of materials in this life-sized horse created an obvious stir in Hill City, South Dakota, after the local arts council purchased the sculpture for the town. Passersby still stop to identify the farm and ranch implements that, from a distance, give the impression of a beautifully conformed horse. The impression is so strong that cowboys who drive by pulling horse trailers have reported that their horses actually whinny when they pass Iron Star!”