From a sketch to steel
How an angel is made in John’s studio, in five steps.
Eternal, in the studio.
Step 01, The sketch
Every angel starts as a drawing on paper: the pose, the reach of the wing, what she holds in her hands.
An illustration of the sketch stage.
Step 02, The model
The drawing becomes a model, worked out as thin horizontal slices. Each slice is a layer the steel will become.
Step 03, The cut on the plasma table
On the plasma table each slice is cut from steel sheet, one contour at a time, until the whole figure lies flat on the table in pieces.
John at his cutting table.
Step 04, By hand
At the bench the slices go up one band at a time, with a gap between each, so the light comes through the figure. The wings are fanned blades of steel, some left dark and some polished bright. John fits, welds and grinds each one by hand.
Fitting a wing by hand.
Step 05, The finished piece
Finished angels stand in gardens, parks and healing centers around the country. The largest are 23 feet tall.
A kneeling angel with a spear, in the desert.
“I have come to realize that in the end, I don’t believe my art is mine. I think I’m just the hands, the translator, the stubborn human who agreed to build what whispered its way through.”John T. Benedict, The Artist and the Algorithm
Have a place in mind?
John makes large pieces for gardens, homes and public spaces. Tell him about the place and what you imagine there.
Write to John about a commission